


Soul On The Run

by kimdyokai



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 02:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13285413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimdyokai/pseuds/kimdyokai
Summary: Jongin's world is completely shaken when he meets Kyungsoo, a stranger from another planet who’s come to Earth in search of his soulmate.





	Soul On The Run

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zerrin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zerrin/gifts).



> happy kaisoo day everyone!ヽ( ˃ ヮ˂)ノ but most of all happy birthdays to jongin and kyungsoo!!! *crosses fingers I wish they'd celebrate it together this year* 
> 
> I am entirely grateful to to the fko mods for working hard and for giving me the opportunity to write for this exchange again! ☆ thank you to both jongin & ksoo as well for feeding us in 2017 and for continuing to look out for each other :’) 
> 
> To everyone, especially to my recipient, I hope you guys like and enjoy reading this one ;u;

Napping with your arms as a head pillow on the cafeteria table wasn’t at all very comfortable, that is according to Jongin’s wide range of sleeping experiences in university.

It was noisy, filled with unnecessary chattering and occasionally a whole lot worse when accompanied with the loud cackling of the people whom you share a table with. Chanyeol and Sehun’s laughter mixed together created a loud mess in Jongin’s ears and it was only making his head twinge twice than it felt fifteen minutes ago. It used to disturb him quite a lot back in the days, but now it was no longer as worse.

Jongin feels a weak nudge on his arm before the sound of plastic trays snap against the table and the waft of food graces his nostrils, making his stomach grumble automatically. It doesn’t make him open his eyes though, settling with a short grunt as an indication that he wanted to continue his nap.

“Food’s here!” Baekhyun announces in a sing-song voice as he plops himself beside Chanyeol who sounded happy enough to have his petite boyfriend back between his arms.

“Why is Jongin still sleeping? I thought he had to submit a paper today.” Yixing inquires silently next to said person before giving him a gentle pat on the back. “Dude, wake up. Lunch is almost over.”

Among all of Jongin’s friends, Yixing was probably the only one he’d listen to regarding most major decisions in his life. They’ve been dancing together since high school and nice was a definite understatement whenever it came to Zhang Yixing.

Jongin finally lifts his head up, eyes still hazy after being pressed against his arm for too long. Milk and yogurt boxes were passed around the table when Sehun bumps their shoulders together.

“You alright?” his friend asks, clearly concerned. “You don’t look too well.”

Jongin could only groan in despair, taking the all-meat burger on his tray and shoving it in his mouth to suppress his frustration.

Chanyeol hands him a bottle of water before adding, “Your paper was barely a minute late Jongin, I’m sure Professor Yang would think of considering it. You worked hard for it after all, maybe your content would make up for it and she might give you an A or something.”

“Still!” Jongin exclaims exasperatedly, chewed meat still gathered between his cheeks. “If only my bike didn’t run out of fuel this morning then I probably would’ve made it on time. I guess luck just isn’t on my side today.”

“But, guess what!” Baekhyun quickly intercedes, excitedly drum-rolling as he fishes for something inside the plastic bag before pulling out a sealed container and waving it in front of Jongin. “Congratulations, you got the very last supply of chocolate pudding on today’s menu!” he grins widely. “See, this day isn’t as bad now that you get to eat your favorite treat.”

Jongin hesitates for a moment before accepting the treat and a small smile lingers on his lips. “Thanks, Baek.”

“Stop thinking so much about it and cheer up,” Yixing adds as he punches a straw on his juice box. “One paper can’t possibly ruin your life.”

Jongin’s friends can be total airheads sometimes, but in most situations they actually played their role as good comrades.

“By the way I just got a new game so we’re hanging out at my place tomorrow,” Chanyeol says. “Most of the guys are coming. You in?”

“Can’t, I have to fill in for someone at work until 4.” It’s a Saturday tomorrow and Jongin has a part-time job at the local library. He reads storybooks for the little ones only every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons but Junmyeon just called in sick the other day and coincidentally only Jongin can cover for him. Not that he was complaining because he needed that few extra bucks.

“Alright, but make sure you catch up if you have extra time, you don’t want to miss on the new Overwatch upgrades.”

“And watch your ass get kicked by Baekhyun again?” Sehun snorts jokingly beside him. “If I were Jongin then I’d take the opportunity to pass.”

Chanyeol sneers at Sehun before playfully wrapping an arm around Baekhyun and pulling his boyfriend against his chest to keep the latter from laughing way too hard. “If you must know I’ve won multiple games against him,” he defends. “But I admit Baekhyun’s getting better at being a little more… aggressive with me.”

The suggestive expression that overtakes Chanyeol’s face makes the whole table cringe and lower their heads with succeeding groans. Even Yixing almost spits out his pizza and Baekhyun struggles to free himself from the strong arm locked around him.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are soulmates. They’ve met each other at a gathering way back in their last year of high school and have been together since then. Finding one’s destined soulmate is never an easy task, especially when only one person from the pair is given a Finder. A Finder does not have a definite body-- it varies on different people. It may be an object, sign, or a symbol that helps determine one’s soulmate.

Unfortunately for Jongin, he possesses none of those. There had not been any signs of his soulmate so he once had assumed that it was he who held the Finder. An odd mark rests behind his right shoulder blade in the shape of a crescent, its brown pigment beautifully blending with Jongin’s sun-kissed skin. He felt stupid for even thinking it was a Finder because the crescent didn’t really have any effect whatsoever so Jongin had come to a conclusion that it was just a mere birthmark. Finders usually guide you to something anyway, and all those years of having it on his back never really lead Jongin to anything so he leaves all the finding to his soulmate.

In Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s case, it was Chanyeol who held the Finder in the form of a tattoo that spiraled around his index finger. The same tattoo then appeared on Baekhyun’s finger the first time they met and shook hands, palms pressed against each other. It was a little creepy, and Jongin could only hope that his future encounter with his soulmate wouldn’t be as peculiar.

“I’ll be there if I finish work early.” Jongin promises shortly.

“Make sure you do, alright? Yixing and I are tired of having to deal with them sucking faces all the time.” Sehun says exasperatedly as he rubs his palms over the sides of his face.

“We do not suck faces all the time,” Baekhyun huffs. He looks down at his hand resting above the table, staring at the markings on his finger affectionately before grinning up at Sehun. “Don’t worry about it though, you’ll find your soulmate soon. Who knows, maybe you guys are far more upfront at displaying your affection than me and Chanyeol.”

Sehun puts on his signature stoic face as he crosses his arms across his chest. “Come on, I haven’t even met them yet.”

His friends continue to bicker and share stories for the entire lunch period. Jongin normally joined them on most days, but something-- other than his delayed paper-- wouldn’t stop bothering his thoughts.

 

As someone who reads stories to children at a public library, Jongin would say he’s committed himself to having patience and total understanding. It’s not because he hates kids, definitely not. In fact, he enjoys playing with children. It’s just that he sometimes walks out of the library with dried saliva on the sleeves of his sweater or if things get a little uncontrolled, slight bruises on his skin.

Well today wasn’t any different.

Jongin’s just finished reading Charlotte’s Web as his last book for today when the kids started playing around him again. Some were hanging over his shoulders, clinging around his legs, and even started squishing his face with their small sloppy hands.

Mrs. Jeon, the head librarian in her 50’s, resembled a village teacher whom the children were very frightened of. She had come up to the reading area before telling the kids to wait quietly for their parents, and therefore saving Jongin’s ass.

“Thanks for filling in again today,” Mrs. Jeon says kindly behind the desk as Jongin scribbles his name on the blue record book.

“It’s really not a problem, Mrs. Jeon. I can always make time for this.”

The smile on the librarian’s face contrasts with the dark grey clouds packed closely together in the sky. Fat drops of rain fall by Jongin’s black sneakers the moment he walks out of the library, creating large puddles over the concrete.

He pops his umbrella open before stepping out of the porch when a body collides against his side. Surprised, Jongin impulsively moves away but the stranger only clings tighter against his arm.

“W-What’s this?” the stranger asks in a quivering voice, eyes wide and alarmed.

He was wearing a suit similar to a stormtrooper from Star Wars, only without the headgear and bulky armors, the silver holographic parts of the suit making him attract more attention from the passersby.

“W-Why is water falling from the sky?” he asks again with the same amount of terror. 

“It’s raining,” Jongin answers a-matter-of-factly albeit a little confused. This person’s probably out of his mind. “I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else, but the Star Wars convention is on the red building, two blocks from here.”

And he wasn’t lying. Comic book conventions and such were held at the large red building across the next street.

The stranger looked a little lost at Jongin’s words before he reaches his hand out into the rain like he’s never touched it before, genuine curiosity in his eyes. “T-This is normal here?”

“The what? Rain?”

“Ah, so this is rain…” The stranger was mindlessly hogging the umbrella to himself and Jongin’s shoulder was only getting a lot more drenched as they spoke.

Jongin scratches his neck awkwardly. “I should go…”

The stranger seemed to have realized something before he jumps out of the umbrella and into the pouring rain. Mister Stormtrooper was definitely out of his mind.

“I apologize about that,” he yells in between the piercing sound of the rain, only loud enough for Jongin to hear.

Now that the stranger was in a much clearer view, Jongin takes a good look at him. He was a few inches shorter, fair skinned, and has full-shaped lips. A code of numbers were printed on the sleeves of his suit and before Jongin could even think about interpreting what it was, the stranger immediately covers it with a hand.

"I-I'm Kyungsoo, Do Kyungsoo.”

Jongin contemplates about whether he should tell his real name or not, but there was definitely something in Kyungsoo’s eyes that seemed like he could be trusted.

“Uh, I’m Kim Jongin,” Jongin says as he steps up towards the stranger, bringing him under the protection of his umbrella.

Kyungsoo mumbles a soft thank you before clearing his throat and increasing the volume of his voice again. “Can I talk to you about something? It won’t take long I promise.”

“Sure, but we should find shade first.”

They find shelter from the rain at a bus stop. It was packed on their way, but luckily almost all of the commuters got in on the recent bus due to the bad weather.

Jongin closes his umbrella as they make themselves comfortable on the bench. Kyungsoo has his arms around himself, lower lips quivering and Jongin can only do what was proper as of this moment.

“Here,” he says, taking off his jacket and handing it to the other male. “Take it, you must be freezing.”

Kyungsoo accepts it without hesitation, his onepiece stormtrooper outfit nearly soaked to the core and it was evident that he was frigid from the cold weather. “People here on Earth must have a hard time with this... rain. Does this happen often?”

There he was asking strange questions again.

“Not all the time,” answers Jongin. “It’s only during this season that downpou-- rain-- I mean, gets heavy.”

“That’s pretty interesting.”

“Mind if I ask you something?” Jongin asks and Kyungsoo hesitates for a moment before nodding his head.

“What’s with the costume?”

“Ah, my suit?” Kyungsoo looks down at his outfit. “It’s what we normally wear on Euxoria.” It doesn’t even take a second before his eyes widen in surprise, looking alarmed and regretful at the same time. 

Jongin’s curiosity sparks. “Euxoria?”

“It’s my home,” Kyungsoo answers quietly, fingers fiddling on his lap. “The planet where I’m from.”

Jongin was running out of coherence, jaws dropped and mind a complete mess. Maybe this was just an illusion, a dream or something and he definitely needs to wake himself up already.

It was as if Kyungsoo has read his mind when the shorter male smiles sadly, head down. “I totally understand if you don’t believe me. But I’d really appreciate it if you help me with something… if you don’t mind.”

The look on Kyungsoo’s face makes Jongin think twice. Kyungsoo was a complete stranger, and apparently someone from another planet that probably doesn’t even exist. Jongin has watched too much prank videos on YouTube and he hopes this situation wasn’t one.

Kyungsoo looked harmless and totally genuine. Besides, his mother always reminded him to help others at any cost. He finally nods his head after so much thought, “Um, okay? But it depends though, I’m not a very skilled person and I have a very short list of abilities.”

“Y-You would help me?” Kyungsoo’s face literally lights up as if he’s regained hope, eyes a little teary.

“Sure, what do you want me to do?”

Kyungsoo gestures for him to come closer and Jongin scoots in to listen closely as the shorter male whispers against his ear.

“I’m actually looking for my soulmate here on Earth.”

“Your soulmate.” Jongin clarifies in disbelief as he pulls back, tone flat. “How is it possible to find your soulmate here? I mean, Earth is probably a million miles away from your planet.”

“It’s exactly 430 million miles away. Not a very comfortable ride, if you ask me,” Kyungsoo says with a light chuckle. “And you can’t just doubt a soulmate connection, it’s always there regardless of space and time.”

“Hold on.” Jongin interrupts, not getting the hang of the whole I’m-from-a-different-planet concept. “Of all the possible places on Earth, how did you end up coming to Seoul?”

“I actually have something for that.” Kyungsoo pulls something out from his pocket before presenting a miniature device. It was a rectangle, smaller than the width of Jongin’s palm. “This is my Finder, it broke the moment I stepped on Earth. But it’s a good thing that it narrowed my options before something interrupted with the signal.”

So it was Kyungsoo who held the Finder for his pair. Jongin admits that he kind of envied him. “How does it work?”

“It’s better than most Finders, actually.” Kyungsoo says. “This little button right here blinks rapidly the nearer you are to your pair. It then turns red when you’re about a meter away. Easy right?”

Jongin nods. So far in his entire life, he’s never seen anyone here on Earth who held such a powerful device. He lowkey hopes his soulmate had one.

“If this didn’t break then I would probably have already met my soulmate by now.” Kyungsoo sighs, disappointed. “But this is fate, we shouldn’t always expect things to go our way.”

The rain turns down into a light drizzle, the sky becoming a shade of baby blue again as the passengers started shuffling back into the bus station.

“So let me guess, you want me to help you find your soulmate.”

Kyungsoo looked taken aback before he rubs his nape in a sheepish manner. “Um, yes.”

The big city of Seoul has an approximate population of 10 million people, and out of all those individuals, only one was Kyungsoo’s destined soulmate.

“I would really like to help you, I really do.” Jongin begins carefully and the tone of his voice causes the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth to drop visibly. “But… there are just countless people in Seoul, and I don’t exactly have the time to be strolling around looking for someone whose identity is completely unknown to both of us. I’m in my last year of college and things aren’t really going too well for me either. I’m really sorry, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes were stuck on the ground as he tries to hold in his breath, voice still coming out a little shaky despite all the effort of trying to hold it in. “T-That’s okay,” he smiles sadly. “There’s no helping it. Thank you too, for listening to me.”

The clock by the post says 5 PM and Jongin stands up from the bench with Kyungsoo following suit. The bus arrives in a fleeting second and the crowd begins to calmly enter the vehicle in a neat line.

“Ah, hold on, you almost forgot this,” Kyungsoo says hurriedly as he takes off Jongin’s jacket before the latter stops him.

“It’s okay, you can keep it,” Jongin says before he extends his hand out for a handshake. “It was good to meet you, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo remains motionless as he simply stares at the outstretched arm, obviously clueless about the gesture.

“Oh, uh, a handshake.” Jongin explains. Maybe it was the rush, but he casually takes Kyungsoo’s right hand before softly grasping and shaking their hands together, disregarding the brief tingle on his shoulder. “People on Earth do it for proper etiquette as a greeting or some sort of a goodbye.”

Kyungsoo looks at their hands in genuine awe before gripping Jongin’s hand back even tighter. “Well, goodbye Jongin.”

“I hope you find your soulmate.”

“Me too.”

Jongin smiles one last time at Kyungsoo before climbing up the bus, the doors automatically shutting close behind him. He takes the unoccupied seat beside the window, catching the hazy reflection of a bright stormtrooper outfit before he watches it disappear behind thin fog and synchronized wipers.

 

“Man, I’m sorry couldn’t make it earlier.”

The freshly opened can of orange soda hisses silently in Jongin’s hand as he plops himself above the couch, his mobile phone in one ear. A towel hung across his shoulders, hair still dripping wet after a long and cold shower.

“That’s fine, we all just ended up napping after a few games anyway,” Chanyeol reassures from the other line. “Besides, the rain was too strong. It was a good thing you didn’t think twice on heading straight right home.”

“About that, something unexpected actually came up after I finished work.”

“Hold on for a sec, Mongryeong’s digging through the laundry again,” There was loud shuffling on the other line along with Chanyeol’s shouting and Baekhyun’s faint reprimanding in the background. It takes a couple more seconds before the other line comes back. “Yeah? What happened?”

For a moment Jongin was able to contemplate how completely insane he was going to sound if he begins talking about bumping into a person in a stormtrooper outfit. And basing on how Kyungsoo was acting earlier, it seemed like he didn’t want anyone to know about him coming from another planet. The entire nation would probably go nuts if they knew.

“I’ll tell you next time,” Jongin says instead. “Things still sound a little crazy over there, you better take care of it first.”

A loud bark takes over Chanyeol’s voice and Jongin actually thanks the welsh corgi for saving him from spilling out classified information.

Chanyeol hollers a last ‘Alright I’ll talk to you at university!’ before the line completely goes off.

It was almost 8pm and Jongin was proud at himself for finishing all his papers due on Monday, leaving him to enjoy the rest of his weekend although he did nothing much except for sleep, eat, and sometimes come over to Sehun or Chanyeol’s place. Jongin’s studio apartment isn’t very spacious and activities were limited, but it’s a place enough for him to survive college and have his friends come over for games and drinks.

Finishing his last can of soda, Jongin tosses the empty can in the trash bin, finally deciding to do the groceries after realizing he was nearly running out of food supply. He pulls on his navy green sweater, grabs his keys and phone before promptly leaving the apartment building.

The nearest 24-hour mart was only across the street. The cashier in her usual customer-satisfactory grin greets him politely as always and Jongin returns the gesture as he grabs a basket by the entrance. He makes a beeline towards the shelves of ramen, taking about a week’s supply in his basket before roaming around the mart routinely as if he’s memorized where each type of product was placed.

After grabbing a few cartons of milk and microwavable food, Jongin immediately heads to the counter to purchase his groceries. He has been shopping at the same mart for as long as he can remember and it has now come to this point where Jongin would no longer have to feel embarrassed at the contents of his basket, and especially now that the cashier finally loses the particular look on her face whenever Jongin would push a ridiculous amount of ramen across the counter.

The pedestrian light turns red the moment Jongin steps out of the mart, dozens of cars rolling past each other before him. He waits for the lights to turn green again when he catches a dash of silver light on his peripheral vision, causing him to turn his head at the source only to see a familiar stranger coming up towards him.

“H-Hi,” Kyungsoo greets bashfully, smile nervous. He was still wearing the same clothes from earlier including his jacket, from which Jongin clearly remembers was drenched in rain water.

Jongin doesn’t exactly know how to respond to this. “Hey.”

Kyungsoo’s attempt at a smile was transparent, eyes weary and shoulders exhausted. “I know you already told me you were occupied with so much things right now, and that time is incredibly precious to you,” he says nervously, chewing on his bottom lip. “But it would really mean so much to me if you would allow me to owe you an enormous favor-- which I would gladly pay back as soon as I can.”

The pedestrian light flashes a bright green and the people behind him trudge along the road with rushed steps towards the opposite street.

“Come on, the road’s clear,” Jongin says a little distractedly, allowing the shorter male to stick to his side as he focuses on crossing the street. It was a lively Saturday evening in the city and it was better to be extra careful for drunk and careless drivers.

As soon as they reach the opposite side safely, Jongin finally gives his attention to the other male. “Sorry, but what was it you wanted to tell me?”

Kyungsoo lowers his eyes again. “I uh, to be honest I came here thinking that I could find my soulmate before the day ends, which is stupid,” he says with a shaky laugh. “I’ve been walking around earlier this morning and I realized it might take me a few more days to find them. So... I kind of need a temporary place to stay for the meantime.”

Jongin was completely puzzled at the sudden request, feeling a little awkward. “Are you saying you want to stay over at m-my place?” he stammers. 

Taking note of the doubtful look on Jongin’s face, Kyungsoo immediately rips a removable patch from his sleeve before holding it up backwards for the taller male to see. The series of encoded numbers that Kyungsoo hid from him earlier was now uncovered and below it was Kyungsoo’s name written in Hangul.

“This is my identification badge. I promise that I have no ill intention towards you.”

“But why me, of all people?”

“In the beginning it was only because you saw my badge when I first bumped into you this afternoon, and people from Euxoria aren’t supposed to show our codes to anyone from Earth. It’s dangerous and completely against the rules.” Kyungsoo explains with a disappointed shake of his head. “I’ve also been careless; you know my name, the planet where I live, and the purpose why I’ve decided to come here on Earth.”

Kyungsoo then pauses momentarily as if he’s just realized something, smiling sadly before he adds, “Besides, you’re pretty much the only person who’s talked to me since I got here.”

An odd feeling overcomes Jongin and it plummets right against his chest. Kyungsoo was a stranger, someone he has only known for less than a day but the sudden urge to comfort him was overlapping Jongin’s consciousness. Maybe it were those eyes; round, sincere, and full of life.

“My apartment isn’t spacious enough for the both of us,” Jongin says and Kyungsoo’s bright eyes immediately light up. “It probably wouldn’t be comfortable for you, and my meals are limited to instant products which isn’t a very nutritious diet.”

“I don’t mind!” Kyungsoo says right away, a large smile already blooming across his face.

Jongin sighs in disbelief, hoping he wasn’t making the worst decision of his life. “Well, it’s settled then.”

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes were literally filled with awe as he looks around Jongin’s humble 4th floor apartment, taking in even the slightest details of the space. There wasn’t anything much to look at, but the shorter male looked like he was inside a massive mansion.

Jongin felt slightly embarrassed, rubbing his nape after placing his groceries above the kitchen countertop. Houses definitely look way better in Euxoria. “It’s actually a lot smaller than most houses here in Seoul but--”

“Your home is very lovely, Jongin.” Kyungsoo interrupts him, tone filled with sincerity as he stood in the middle of the room.

“I uh,” Jongin was speechless as he tried to find the right words to say. “It’s not much, but thank you. Make yourself comfortable.”

He makes an incredibly quick tour around the house, explaining whatever object Kyungsoo wasn’t familiar with before finally leading him to the bedroom. Jongin pats the top of his bed after promptly clearing it of unfolded clothes and piles of draft. “You can take the bed, I’ll make sure to change the sheets later so don’t worry about it.”

Kyungsoo aggressively shakes his head as he takes a small step back. “No, you should take it,” he refuses abruptly. “I can stay on the couch outside since I’m the one intruding.”

“I open the windows at night so it gets a little chilly out there, I assure you wouldn’t like it.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows in confusion, “then where are you going to sleep?”

Jongin turns around to open the topmost compartment of his closet before pulling out a futon, coughing softly at the accumulated dust after not having used it for quite a while. “I can just lay this over the floor. I hope you don’t mind sharing one room.”

“I’ll stay on the floor while you take the bed,” Kyungsoo makes a final statement. “Honestly what you’re already doing for me is more than enough, it’s only right that I shouldn’t be bothersome and change what you’re normally used to do.”

Jongin hesitates but finally gives in. “Alright. But are you sure you’re gonna be okay down here?”

“Absolutely,” Kyungsoo grins reassuringly.

They help each other set up the made-up bed using thick comforters and topping it up with 2 new pillows, laying it down just right by Jongin’s twin-sized bed.

Jongin couldn’t get this one more thing off his head and he finally decides to speak up once they have finished with all the necessary precautions.

“Do you perhaps have any extra….” he trails off carefully, gesturing at Kyungsoo’s silver holographic outfit, “clothes to wear? No offense intended, but if you want to stay here on Earth you’d have to wear normal people clothing. I mean, you wouldn’t want to attract any attention would you?”

Kyungsoo looks down at his clothes before looking up, cheeks pink from embarrassment. “A-All my suits are like this. Does is really look weird?”

“I’m not saying it looks bad, not at all. It’s just that it’s not what people normally wear here.”

Kyungsoo chews on his bottom lip, in deep thought when he takes something from the thin pockets of his suit. “I almost forgot I had these,” he says as he holds up a wad of 50,000won bills that has Jongin’s jaw dropping on his feet. “You use these to purchase stuff here, am I right?”

“Yeah.” Jongin clears his throat after his voice slightly cracks. “That’s great, you can use those to get clothes tomorrow. But if you want I can lend you mine for now.”

Kyungsoo ended up wearing one of Jongin’s hardly worn pair of pyjamas kept on the back of his closet. His mom had given it to him three years ago which had eventually shrunk in size, but was surprisingly still slightly larger for Kyungsoo’s body frame. Jongin hadn’t told his mother but the top reason why he had stopped wearing it was basically because of the bear patterns drawn all over it.

As highly anticipated, the first night of sleeping with a person you just met felt incredibly awkward.

He couldn’t see Kyungsoo from the top of his bed, yet he feels the tension sweep around the room with the air conditioner. Jongin was still wide awake as he listens to the sound of Kyungsoo shifting continuously below him.

Jongin didn’t think he was actually going to sleep well tonight, but after a few hours pass, he drifts off to dream of stars together with the inhales and exhales that matched his own.

 

“Is this okay?”

Kyungsoo looks at Jongin unsurely after he walks out of the dressing room. He was dressed in baby blue jeans along with a lime green collared top, finishing it off with a leather belt around his waist.

Jongin could only stare at him in disbelief, eyes raking the shorter male’s body.

“You think it’s bad, don’t you?” Kyungsoo juts his lower lip out before he looks at himself in the large mirror. “I think the colors are really cute though, I’ve never worn anything like it.”

Kyungsoo looked like one of those residents from Beverly Hills who have chihuahuas between their arms, dressed in pastel with designer brand pouches in hand.

Jongin has to admit that after watching Kyungsoo try on different pieces of clothing for a couple of hours, he actually didn’t look like someone who came from another planet.

“You should get it if you like it,” Jongin tells him reassuringly.

“Alright, I’ll take these.” Kyungsoo beams excitedly. “What you chose for me were really nice too,” he adds as he gestures at the cart filled with clothes beside him; most of which were Jongin’s recommendations. “You know more about the norms here on Earth so I guess I’ll just have to leave the rest to you.”

“You sure?”

Kyungsoo chuckles heartily. “Mhm, I just hope I’d look good as you when I wear the clothes you’d pick out for me.”

Jongin laughs, shaking his head at the quiet compliment, “Of course.”

He chooses simpler clothes for Kyungsoo; cotton jackets, plain tops, and dark jeans. Basically an outfit combination that doesn’t make him stand out too much. Thankfully it was only Summer because they didn’t have to include getting heavy parkas and winter boots.

Before leaving the store, Kyungsoo changes from a borrowed pair of Jongin’s latest sweats and a graphic tee into his new pair of navy jeans and a grey buttoned shirt. It was only his second day on Earth and things were already beginning to improve.

They were already walking back to Jongin’s apartment when Kyungsoo holds up a separate paper bag in front of the other male.

“This is for you,” Kyungsoo gently pushes it in between hesitant hands. “This isn’t enough to thank you for letting me stay at your place and for helping me with today, but I’d appreciate it a lot if you take it.”

Jongin’s eyes widen in surprise at the unexpected present. “You really didn’t have to get me anything…”

“Nonsense,” Kyungsoo bites his bottom lip in excitement. “Open it.”

Jongin tears off the staples as he opens the bag, pulling the item out and revealing a stone black bomber jacket.

“I saw you try it on earlier at the store,” Kyungsoo says with a beam. “It looked great on you, even the lady who worked there said you looked handsome.”

“You didn’t have to get me something so grand.” Now it was Jongin’s turn to feel embarrassed. Kyungsoo was his guest, but it was he who had ended up buying something for him. “Thank you for this, and you’re welcome. I’ll make sure to get you something next time.”

 

Sunday afternoon on the same day and Jongin finds himself walking aimlessly with Kyungsoo by his side.

“So this is how you want to find your soulmate?” he asks again, just to be sure. He had agreed to come with Kyungsoo and help find his soulmate, thinking that the latter already had a definite plan in mind. Kyungsoo’s tracker still wasn’t fixed either and it only leaves him with Plan B.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nods his head surely. “I mean after all, it’s fate that works behind everything, right? And no matter what, we’re eventually going to bump into each other if it’s meant to be.”

“So basically you’re just waiting for a coincidence to happen?”

“That’s right, neither of us can control what fate wants to happen so we just do whatever we normally do and wait.”

Jongin was going crazy. This wasn’t going to be easy, moving around with no plan at all and expect one person from Seoul to come out as Kyungsoo’s destined pair. Certain thoughts came to Jongin’s head but it wasn’t time to give up just yet; this was only their first day of searching and he might as well help Kyungsoo familiarize a part of the city before the latter decides to go out by himself.

“Well, what do you want to do today?” he asks Kyungsoo.

Just then, a couple of younger kids walk past them with half empty buckets of popcorn, colorful flags, and stuffed toys between their scrawny arms. Large smiles completed their colorfully painted faces, the atmosphere around them smelling like adrenaline.

Kyungsoo couldn’t take his eyes off of them and Jongin gets his answer.

The amusement park was only a 15 minute walk away and Kyungsoo’s jaws were literally hanging in awe as they stop by the massive entrance of balloons to purchase tickets. The entire place was filled with rides- ranging from gentle carousels to outrageously high roller coasters that adrenaline junkies would totally die for.

It was a Sunday so the park was crowded with lots of people. Kyungsoo’s round eyes were all over the area, checking out different food stalls and game booths. He looked like he wanted to try everything at the same time and Jongin can’t help but laugh at his expression.

“What do you want to try first?”

“That one.” Kyungsoo’s head was tilted up high, hands over his head to cover the heat of the bright sun. The ferris wheel towered over all the other rides, gaining attraction with its round structure and artistically painted capsules.

“Come on,” Jongin grins widely, already pumped up for the rides he wanted to try so badly. He hasn’t been to the amusement park in such a long time, not until he’d gone to college so he was really looking forward to the rest of the day.

Kyungsoo enjoyed a lot of rides, screaming from the top of his lungs at the drop tower, the pendulum ride, and the roller coaster. It was exhausting to transfer simultaneously from ride to ride but the liberating feeling it gave off had them pumped with energy.

As he had mentioned earlier, Kyungsoo didn’t focus too much on the soulmate finding and just allowed things to happen as they were meant to, immensely indulging himself within this new world of unending excitement.

Jongin was glad that the other male was actually enjoying himself. The extra shine in his eyes and the way he threw his head back whenever he found something ridiculous and entertaining were hard to miss.

Among all the booths that scattered all over the park, only one machine was testing Kyungsoo’s nerves. He had spent a thousand won worth of pennies for tokens yet his persistence to claim one stuffed Totoro was endless.

“Why isn’t this working?” Kyungsoo almost cries in frustration as he punches on the release button after his nth attempt at failure. “The claw somehow always loosens when it’s about to grab the-- that-- that exceedingly adorable creature!”

“You mean a Totoro?”

“Yeah a T-Totoro! Is that what it’s called?”

“It’s a famous character,” Jongin says as he walks up to stand beside Kyungsoo, watching the pile of the famous Studio Ghibli star sit behind the glass box. “You know people actually give up after two or three tries because many believe this game only exists to take money.”

Kyungsoo pouts as he sticks his cheek against the glass. “That sucks. I really want one though, just look how adorable that is. Doesn’t it make you wanna take it home?”

The Totoro stuffed toys were indeed adorable, but Jongin hasn’t noticed anyone carrying one around so he quickly assumes that no one has probably succeeded with this machine yet. Maybe a few already have, and Jongin might as well ask them for tips.

“Well I did learn one thing from the internet,” Jongin shrugs as he slots in his last token in the machine. The lights around it dance in sync before an automated voice says ‘Start!’

“Apparently you have to move it like this.” He waves the joystick back and forth, making the claw inside swing from side to side. Jongin waits for the proper timing before he presses the large button with his fist and down the claw goes, taking a Totoro by its body and tossing it in the prize box.

He was left speechless because he didn’t think the trick would actually work on his first try. It was Kyungsoo who wakes him up by tapping his shoulders excitedly.

“Jongin you got it!” he cries cheerfully. “You won the prize!’

Jongin’s grin extends from ear to ear as he raises both of his arms up to high-five Kyungsoo (something the latter had learned a couple of minutes ago). “This is awesome! I literally owned this claw machine.”

He takes the stuffed Totoro from the prize box before handing it to Kyungsoo. “You wanted this right?”

The shorter male’s eyes widen, opening both of his palms up to receive the plush toy. “You’re giving this to me, for real?”

“Sure, I wouldn’t even have wanted to try the trick if you didn’t want to win it in the first place.”

“Thank you Jongin.” Kyungsoo’s eyes turn soft as he brings the plushie to his chest, stuffing his nose against the top of Totoro’s furry head, right between its perky ears.

Jongin nods, chuckling before reaching out to rub the character’s round belly. “Careful though, this little guy is probably dusty from staying in there for too long.”

The sun begins to set amongst the orange sky and they settle themselves in the nearest resting bench, getting two large burgers to fill their rumbling stomachs with.

As they ate, Jongin couldn’t help but notice as Kyungsoo watched the people strolling past them, eyes trained on a particular subject before it would shift onto another like he was observing.

“Hey you still there?” Jongin jokes as he tosses his wrapper in the trash bin across him, fist pumping in the air after his three-pointer.

Kyungsoo blinks. “Hm? I was just thinking about something.”

“Would you mind sharing it with me?”

“No not at all,” Kyungsoo sits up straighter. “It’s just that anyone among these people here could be my soulmate. Just thinking about it feels… I don’t know, a good kind of crazy. I mean it could be anyone, including that person stuffing his face with taco.”

Jongin realizes how important the idea of soulmates was to Kyungsoo, and how he was so eager to find them. It gave him a sort of hope that maybe his destined might already be close to meeting him as well.

He laughs as he gestures at a girl who had just gotten down from the roller coaster, hair messy and glasses crooked above her nose. “It could be her too.”

Kyungsoo looks closer. “I don’t think so, that guy behind her seems to be her boyfriend.”

“Woah, my bad.” Jongin looks around again, narrowing his field of view before bobbing his head in the direction of a guy in funny jeans who was carrying a large box of chicken wings, his other hand busy feeding his mouth. “Well that one looks like a keeper.”

It makes Kyungsoo giggle loudly beside him, head thrown backwards and smile contagious.

They spend at least half an hour picking random strangers who were possible candidates to be Kyungsoo’s soulmate. And by random they literally meant anyone, even including the people behind the ticket booths and the amusement park staff handing out brochures.

As the crowd begins to disperse, Jongin finally stands up from the bench as he pulls out his wallet. “I’ll get some water for us so you can stay here and wait. I’ll be quick,” he tells Kyungsoo.

He jogs towards the nearest food stall selling corndogs, promptly placing two bills on the wooden counter. “Two bottles of cold water, please.”

The lady behind the stall rings up his purchases before she turns around to the fridge, taking two bottles of water and wrapping them up in a plastic bag.

Jongin thanks her as he takes the items, about to go back to the benches when he looks up to see a taller guy now sitting beside Kyungsoo. They were chatting together and Kyungsoo didn’t look bothered or like he wanted to leave the conversation at all.

Maybe that guy could be the one after all, thinks Jongin as he heads to a different direction. It was far enough to give them privacy but close enough to watch over Kyungsoo.

A couple of minutes later, Jongin only notices that he was slowly snoozing off the moment Kyungsoo approaches him. “Hey, I was looking everywhere for you.”

Jongin yawns before mumbling a short apology. “You were with someone so I decided to leave you guys alone to talk. How was it?”

“He’s not exactly the person I’m looking for,” Kyungsoo sighs loudly. “Guess he just wanted to make friends and chat for a bit.”

Stuffing one hand in his pocket, Jongin offers Kyungsoo an unopened bottle of water before standing up, tone serious all of a sudden. “Just be very careful with whomever you talk to, okay? Some people here on Earth aren’t exactly as nice as you might think they are.”

Kyungsoo tilts his head to the side, clearly puzzled. It takes him a moment to comprehend what Jongin had meant before he nods his head.

“I will.”

 

The second Jongin walks out of his Geography class, two familiar bodies press themselves against both of his sides, arms wound around his shoulders.

“What are you guys doing?” Jongin hisses under his breath as his friends walk with him through the hallways. “Shouldn’t you both be early for next period?”

Chanyeol narrows his eyes playfully. “We should be asking you the same thing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Where were you yesterday?” Baekhyun asks carefully and the unexpected question finally makes Jongin stagger in his steps. The similar look on Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s faces say that he has already been successfully cornered.

Jongin had to think quick on his feet. He wasn’t sure if Kyungsoo had already given him his full permission to introduce him to to his friends as a new roommate. His identity as a non-Earthling was supposed to be a secret that shouldn’t be revealed just yet, but with friends like Jongin’s, secrets were quite challenging to suppress for a long period of time.

With the way they were acting, it was definite that they have already seen Jongin yesterday. “Well, I was at the amusement park.”

Chanyeol grips his shoulder tighter. “Alone?”

“No.” Jongin admits in a monotone voice. “I came with a friend.”

Baekhyun pushes a little further. “So is there um, something… we should know about you and this special friend of yours?”

Jongin shrugs casually, “Nothing.”

“That’s not what your huge smile said yesterday.”

“And that’s not the clock telling me it’s already 10am.” Jongin clicks his tongue before breaking free from the both locks on either side of his body. “I’m late for Econ so I gotta sprint. See you guys at lunch.”

He runs up towards the long flight of stairs, shaking his head at the hollers echoing behind him.

“You better introduce us to your friend soon before we tell everyone else!” Baekhyun threatens before he quickly adds, “Oh and good luck on your test too!”

 

Jongin never thought that the day he’d come home to his apartment with actual healthy groceries and someone waiting for him inside would come so fast.

It was already 6pm and Jongin enters his apartment to see Kyungsoo place his shoes neatly on the shoe rack, looking like he had just gotten in as well.

“Hey,” Jongin greets as he tips off his shoes before placing them beside the other male’s. “Where have you been?”

“I was about to get my Finder fixed this noon but most stores declined because they said they needed advanced tools to fix it-- most of which they don’t have.” Kyungsoo sighs dejectedly. “One of them also mentioned that people here hardly possess finders thus the lack of equipment.”

“But you’re quite fortunate to have one,” Jongin points out as he drops his backpack on the table. “How are you going to fix it though?”

“I don’t have much of a choice so I think I’m gonna have to do it myself.”

After washing up and changing into more comfortable clothes, Jongin finds himself in the kitchen, still figuring out what to cook for dinner considering his new roommate. He already has all of the ingredients above the counter and the only important thing missing was the dish he wanted to make.

His cupboards contained all sorts of spices he wasn’t familiar with, all thanks to his mother who makes sure to fill his fridge and kitchen cupboards whenever she visited. They were only used whenever his friends came over and Yixing would make them food.

“You making dinner?” Kyungsoo pops up from behind him, looking over his shoulder at the untouched bowl of greens and noodles.

Jongin nods as he scratches his head. “I still have no idea what to make though.”

“Looking at the present ingredients you have, Japchae would be nice.”

“No offense but, you have that in your planet?”

Kyungsoo laughs. “Our planets may differ in so many ways, but I guess we share the same food.”

Jongin wanted to reach out for his phone on the side but Kyungsoo was observing him and it would be a total embarrassment to Google ‘Steps on how to make japchae’ because he has been eating it his entire life yet has totally no clue on how to prepare it.

Internally sweating, Jongin takes the cabbage when Kyungsoo asks in a small voice, “Have you already tried making japchae before?”

He doesn’t even hesitate for a single second, “No.”

“I can cook, if you’re okay with it,” Kyungsoo volunteers slowly, not wanting to come off as offensive in any way.

Jongin finally breathes in relief at the offer. He didn’t want to let his guest make food for them both, but the situation would probably be worse if an inexperienced person like himself wasted good ingredients by serving a full plate of failure.

“Do you want me to help you here anyway?” Jongin asks before handing over his apron to the shorter male.

Kyungsoo shakes his head as he washes his hands, taking the apron before tying it around his waist. “I’m gonna be fine,” he says. “You can do anything while waiting for the food to be ready. I’ll try to make it quick.”

“No pressure. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

Jongin does his homework diligently and after a few minutes, the smell of japchae from the kitchen causes his stomach to grumble and make him willingly come out of his room to set the table despite his unfinished calculus problem sets.

The appearance of Kyungsoo’s japchae definitely gave justice to its taste. It was full of flavor, the noodles melting against his tongue and it had an enough amount of vegetables.

He finishes his bowl with a satisfied belly, thanking Kyungsoo for the hearty meal. Jongin realizes it was a good thing Kyungsoo had offered to cook because the latter would have been served with grueling disappointment if he didn’t.

A thought comes across Jongin and he wishes to taste more of the greater dishes Kyungsoo has under his sleeve.

 

After a couple of Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kyungsoo was finally able to convince Jongin to take him to his part-time job at the library.

The children were already gathered at the reading area, obediently sitting cross-legged above the mat and exclaiming cheerfully the moment Jongin arrives with a storybook concealed behind his back. Kyungsoo trailed before him silently and the little ones were too excited to even care about the plus one their teacher has brought today.

“We’re going to start in 5 minutes so you can browse through the shelves while you wait for us to finish,” he tells Kyungsoo. “If you’re looking for a particular book then you can search for it using the monitors by the counter, or you can ask assistance from any of the librarians.”

“I found books on planetary sciences earlier so I think I’m gonna head down there.” Kyungsoo says before looking behind Jongin. “By the way, what are you gonna be reading them today?”

The kids perfectly hear the question and some of them restlessly drag Jongin down by the fabric of his jeans to pull him down and sit with them across the floor. The taller male attempts to hold in his laughter as he shushes his audience to keep quiet if they didn’t want the scary Mrs. Jeon to come and pay them a visit.

Kyungsoo laughs silently at the comedic act in front of him, watching how Jongin was adorably interacting with the kids as if he were in the same level with them. He admits that it was completely heartwarming to see this side of Jongin. 

“Who wants to guess what book we’re reading today?” 

Small hands shoot up in the air and Jongin gestures at the little boy in the back to answer. “Yes, Taeyoung?”

“The Three Little Pigs!”

Jongin shakes his head. “Good try, but we’ve already read that last Tuesday,” he chuckles. “Last guess! Who wants to try again?”

This time, more arms were up in the air and Jongin finally chooses the girl with ponytail braids. “How about you Yerin, can you guess what book I’ve chosen to read to you guys today?”

Hesitant, the little girl glances at her friends before answering. “The Princess and The Pea?”

“Another wonderful guess, but that’s not what I have for you guys today,” Jongin beams softly at the kids who were now completely focused on him. He slowly takes the book out before flashing it in front of his audience. 

“Today we are gonna be reading The Golden Goose,” he says, showing them the front cover and the kids gather even closer.

Before he could even forget, Jongin slightly turns his head to the side to face Kyungsoo. “Do you want to join us?”

“Huh?” Spaced out, Kyungsoo murmurs cluelessly and Jongin repeats the question again before the shorter male finally breaks out of it. “Ah-- yeah, um. I’m going to go start looking for something to read.”

Jongin chuckles to himself as he watches Kyungsoo saunter across the shelves. He finally tells the kids to keep their voices down and settle themselves before he flips into the first page.

 

“I’ll see you next week, okay?”

Jongin ruffles Taeil’s hair before the little boy runs out of the massive doors and into his mother’s arms. After making sure all of the kids have already been picked up by their parents, Jongin goes back upstairs where he figures Kyungsoo might be.

He didn’t need to roam around the library for too long because he gets it right on the first try. Kyungsoo was plopped down on the floor between two tall bookshelves, an open book on his lap. The shorter male was too engrossed in reading that he almost didn’t notice Jongin coming close towards him.

“What are you reading?” Jongin asks as he sits down on the floor, leaning his shoulders against the sturdy bookshelf and stretching his legs across the wooden floors.

Upon recognizing his presence, Kyungsoo glances up and smiles shortly at him before focusing back on the book. “Something about winter,” he answers simply.

Jongin only nods his head, understanding that the other male probably didn’t want to be disturbed and solely wanted to give his full attention to the book. Kyungsoo looked peaceful as he read, Jongin has noticed. His eyes were running side to side with the string of words, eyebrows occasionally scrunching together and his lips were parted as he read silently.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo finally looks up and the said male blinks out of his trance. “What does snow feel like?”

“Snow?”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo flips his book to show him what he meant. He points out a picture of a city covered with a blanket of white snow. “The things that fall down from the sky during winter.”

“It’s feels cold, especially when it touches your bare skin.” Jongin presses his lips together. “Fluffy and solid at first but smaller drops of snow eventually melt and it’d feel warm on your hand. Some people even stick their tongues out and get snow in their mouths.”

“I bet it feels amazing,” Kyungsoo sighs dreamily. “In our planet, we actually learn about lots of stuff here on Earth like rain or snow, but we never really get to experience them up there.”

Jongin felt Kyungsoo’s gloom yet he didn’t want the mood to linger. “You’ve already felt rain though, when we first met outside.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes light up at the memory, chuckling softly. “Rain’s off the list then, I just hope my first snow experience wouldn’t be as shocking,” he grins toothily. “When is winter going to happen anyway?”

“It’s still summer, so in around 5 months if I’m not mistaken.”

“That’s a long time. But if I do find my soulmate before winter, then I guess I’m still staying here on Earth.”

Out of curiosity, Jongin asks, “If you’re not going back to Euxoria, then what about the people you’ve left behind for Earth?”

“We can stay here if we want to, or choose to go back whenever. The problem is it’ll take a long time to travel and the process is quite complex,” Kyungsoo explains before closing the book on his lap. “I mean, we also have always been ready for this.”

Fate was indeed a powerful and valuable concept to a lot of people; because some in Kyungsoo’s situation, would even cross galaxies for it.

 

  
Jongin had ended up introducing Kyungsoo to his friends as a new roommate who needed a temporary place to stay in. He leaves the Euxoria part out of the story but includes the fact that Kyungsoo was looking for his soulmate.

After Baekhyun and Chanyeol had seen them together at the amusement park, they wouldn’t stop from dropping hints on their regular table during lunch, implying that Jongin was already dating someone in secret.

Exasperated, Jongin explains for the nth time. “We are not dating, okay? I was just helping him look for his soulmate that one time,” he says indignantly. “Besides, he’s really committed to his soulmate so he’d probably never date anyone except them.”

Sehun scoffs across the table and Jongin glares at him, stopping himself from throwing a piece of garlic bread.

“By the way, why did it take you so long to tell us the first time he started living with you?” Yixing asks casually as he nudges Jongin with the opposite end of his fork.

Jongin falters for a second as he tries to think of a convincing yet proper response. “That’s because I knew you guys would probably like to meet him personally and he’s a very… private person.”

“Totally no offense, but for someone who’s looking for a soulmate, I recommend he should start changing that,” Chanyeol shrugs. “I mean it’d take guts to interact with strangers.”

Jongin settles with a nod of his head before Baekhyun speaks up. “How is he doing with the soulmate searching anyway?”

“Kyungsoo has actually started going out by himself whenever I’m here at university, so I guess he’s been making progress.”

“That’s great,” Baekhyun chirps. “Before I even forget to mention, it’s a Saturday tomorrow so we’re going out tonight at the club we used to go to. Nothing trashy, we’re just having a few drinks before the semester ends.”

They were college sophomores the first time they’ve gone to their regular club. One of Yixing’s friends from dance worked at the place as a bartender and invited them over for free drinks. It was a whole lot of fun on their first few visits, but as they all reached their final year, they already hardly have enough time to come back to the place.

“Hey, why don’t you bring Kyungsoo along with you?” Yixing suggests and the whole table except Jongin agree with the idea.

Jongin almost groans, “Come on, I just told you guys he that he’s a private person.”

“At least introduce him to your friends,” Baekhyun pleads. “I promise we won’t bother him so much. Besides it’d be too loud to even start a long conversation with him.”

“And it’s a friday night so the house is definitely gonna be full,” Sehun adds. “Probably a good place to look for a particular stranger.”

Jongin doesn’t counter the last statement, choosing to shut his mouth and contemplate over the idea instead. As much as he hated the idea of bringing Kyungsoo to such a place, the latter would most likely agree because it narrowed his chances of finding his soulmate, and he’s probably never been to a bar before.

Jongin only hopes Kyungsoo says ‘no’ as his friends look up at him with expectation in their eyes.

 

“Yes!” Kyungsoo exclaims excitedly after Jongin tells him of the plan. “I’d really love to finally meet your friends too.”

You won’t be saying that after you meet them, Jongin thinks as he shakes his head. “You do know what a club is, right?”

Kyungsoo shrugs his shoulders with a sheepish grin adorning his face, completely clueless. “No,” he answers softly.

“Well for starters, a club serves loads of alcoholic drinks,” Jongin begins. “It’s a dark place with flashing neon lights and lasers, a lot of dancing, and you’re gonna be surrounded with sweaty strangers and drunk people. Still sound good to you?”

“Sounds exciting,” Kyungsoo beams brightly.

Jongin couldn’t assure if the club remained as decent as how it was over a year ago. He sighs through his nostrils. At least Kyungsoo was looking forward to it.

 

Bright green lights greet Jongin the first second he gets through the tight bouncers of the club.

As they walked deeper into the area, Kyungsoo’s eyes were all over the place, observing and taking in all of the newness of his surroundings. He was wearing dark jeans and a white button-up, completing the look with a denim jacket which he’s borrowed from Jongin.

On the other hand, Jongin sported something not too over the top: a dark blue turtleneck with jet-black jeans, hair effortlessly coiffed up to one side.

The dance floor was much wider than before and now two DJs were blasting music through the large speakers built all over the place. It was now three times as crowded the last time Jongin had been here, the smell of thick make-up and strong perfume mixing with the artificial smoke in the air.

Jongin easily spots Chanyeol with his height. His friends were seated at a round table and Jongin allows Kyungsoo to hold onto his sleeves and trail behind him as they walk through the crowd.

“We thought you’d never come!” It was Baekhyun who stands up first upon seeing them and the rest of the group follows.

“Hey guys,” Jongin steps aside to reveal the shorter man behind him. “This is Kyungsoo.”

Despite Kyungsoo’s excitement earlier that day, his head was slightly bowed shyly as he shortly introduced himself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet everyone, I-I’m Do Kyungsoo.”

“Great to finally meet you Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun reaches a hand out for a handshake and Kyungsoo clasps the other male’s hands. “I’m Byun Baekhyun. Feel free to talk to me about anything, I hope we can become good friends.”

Kyungsoo looked pretty relieved at how the introductions were starting off comfortably, finally gaining a little confidence when a larger hand replaces Baekhyun’s.

“Park Chanyeol,” said man grins toothily and Kyungsoo has to slightly tilt his head up so their eyes can meet. Kyungsoo looks down on their hands and sees the exact same tattoo on Baekhyun’s finger. 

Chanyeol notices his gaze, smile stretching wider before he adds, “Baekhyun’s soulmate.”

The fact that a pair of soulmates were right in front of him made Kyungsoo’s chest flutter and a smile grow on his face. It was also cute that their marks were matching tattoos on the finger.

Sehun steps up as he clears his throat. “Oh Sehun,” he introduces as they shake hands. “Nice to finally meet you in person. I’m pretty sure Jongin hasn’t told you but we dance together, along with Yixing.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Kyungsoo greets back before the person who’s been quiet behind Sehun grins brightly as he reaches an arm out for a handshake.

“Zhang Yixing, it’s a pleasure,” he flashes a smile. “This isn’t a very good place for a first meeting, but we’re really happy that you decided to come with Jongin here today.”

Baekhyun takes a sip of his neon colored drink as he throws his shoulders across Yixing’s. “If it weren’t for this guy, it would’ve probably taken Jongin forever to introduce you to us.”

“Is that so?” Kyungsoo glances at Jongin as he laughs loudly, already looking pretty comfortable with the new people he’s met. The music was deafening and the lights were blinding but despite that, they were able to converse with Kyungsoo and make sure that the latter wasn’t left out of any topics brought up.

Jongin instantly regrets the worries he’s had of his friends prior to meeting Kyungsoo. They were unexpectedly very polite and careful with the words they used around him, staying out of his personal bubble and not asking any weird questions so far. But much to Jongin’s displeasure, his name gets brought up a lot as they ask Kyungsoo about how he was as a roommate.

“Do you drink?” Chanyeol asks as he holds up an untouched bottle of cold beer in front of Kyungsoo. “I can open it for you.”

Jongin snatches the bottle before tapping the taller male on the chest. “I’ll take that, thanks man,” he snickers. “Kyungsoo and I will head to the bar to get some drinks.”

They excuse themselves from the group before inching their way towards the bar where they situate themselves on the two empty bar stools at the end of the row.

“Two tall glasses of cranberry lime mocktails please,” Jongin tells the bartender as he sets the beer bottle aside. The person seated on his left gives him a weird look with a matching scoff but Jongin brushes him of his shoulder. He knew some people would laugh at him for ordering non-alcoholic drinks at a club especially on a Friday night, but Kyungsoo was with him and the latter had an unfinished mission so it was important that they both stay sane for the rest of the night.

“Thanks for letting me meet your friends Jongin, they’re all really delightful people,” Kyungsoo says with a soft smile. His forehead was already glimmering with sweat under the orange bulb fixed on top of the wooden bar. “They also said something about taking you so long for them to meet me. Why is that?”

“They’re normally loud and obnoxious, so I thought you would feel uncomfortable if they asked you too many questions-- which surprisingly didn’t happen,” Jongin shrugs as he purses his lips together. “I figured that you also probably didn’t want me to mention you to anyone so I didn’t, until Baekhyun and Chanyeol saw us together at the amusement park. They kept on pestering me to tell me who you were so I introduced you to my friends as my roommate which isn’t exactly a lie. Don’t worry though, I kept your planet out of the story.”

“A roommate, huh?” Kyungsoo scrunches his nose, chuckling. “I hope you aren’t sick of letting me stay for free just yet.”

Jongin’s attention shifts when their meticulously made mocktails are served above the counter with a soft thud against wood. They take one glass each and Jongin takes a sip before swirling his beverage with the straw that came with it.

“As you have noticed I haven’t stocked up my ramen supply in weeks ever since you’ve started cooking. You’re technically paying me back by doing that so it’s not a problem at all.” Jongin didn’t think adding this one last part would be necessary but it slips out of his tongue in a murmur anyway, “But it’d be nice if you could stay a little longer.”

Thankfully Kyungsoo doesn’t think too much about it. “You’re the first person who’s trusted me here on Earth, so even if I do find my soulmate, I’d still cook lots for you.”

That one statement makes Jongin’s insides clench, heart race, and face hot. It was an odd emotion altogether and he could suddenly feel the green-eyed monster creep its way up. Jongin quickly pushes it back into the depths of his chest before mentally asking it: why?

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows meet in worry. “Jongin are you okay?”

Jongin nods his head nervously as he pins the straw aside with his index finger before gulping an endless amount of the cold beverage from the rim. It burns as it runs down his throat.

The music turns up an insane amount of volume and more people started moving in the dancefloor with enthusiastic steps and erratic movement. Jongin felt oddly relieved that he didn’t have to create a conversation with Kyungsoo after his mini mental crisis just a few moments ago.

While Jongin was slouched over the bar, Kyungsoo sat down facing the wide population of people in the club. His attention was completely occupied, eyes wide and focused like he was studying each one of them.

Kyungsoo had always been interested with literally anything Earth-related. Whenever they’d go out together, Jongin never fails to notice the certain amount of interest and curiosity in Kyungsoo’s eyes whenever the latter becomes still and quiet as he watches the present take place. He gave his attention to anything, really; a baby in a stroller, people jogging, and even dogs sniffing each other’s puffy bottoms.

Jongin always chooses not to disrupt Kyungsoo whenever he was in this particular mode. It was when he looked the most peaceful yet immovable. It was a pretty endearing sight.

“I knew it, it is you.”

Jongin turns his head to the side to see a familiar person standing in front of Kyungsoo. He easily recognizes the face as the same stranger who had approached Kyungsoo back at the amusement park.

The stranger was a few centimeters shorter than Jongin, he had light blonde hair and a smug expression drawn across his face. There was already something about the guy that Jongin didn’t like but he couldn’t exactly put a finger on it.

Kyungsoo introduces them to each other but Jongin falls deaf over the name as he looks at the person straight in the eyes. It was somehow rude and a bad first impression but as much as he didn’t want to be acquaintances with the guy, Kyungsoo was looking at him expectantly and Jongin didn’t want him to be embarrassed.

“Kim Jongin,” he introduces himself sternly. He didn’t know how to describe himself but he stays consistent. “I’m Kyungsoo’s roommate.”

“Why don’t you sit next to Jongin then,” Kyungsoo offers his friend. This guy was the only person whom Kyungsoo has bumped into twice, and the only person who dared to approach him first. The thought wasn’t impossible at all, and maybe, just maybe, he was the one.

Grabbing his drink, Jongin rises up from the barstool. If this person really was Kyungsoo’s soulmate, then it was only proper for him to give them privacy to talk. “I should get back to the others, I’ll be over at the table if you need me.”

Kyungsoo sighs, “Okay.” He looked quite apologetic about the sudden intrusion of the other male so Jongin lifts his lips up in a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about it. Have fun, alright?”

Instead of heading straight towards his friends, Jongin makes a turn and finds an empty table close enough for him to watch over Kyungsoo. It somehow wasn’t right to be watching them speak, but he couldn’t trust Kyungsoo in the hands of a stranger just yet.

He takes the high barstool, carefully setting his drink above the table before crossing his arms against his chest.

Kyungsoo was talking animatedly, expressions alive as he spoke like he was telling an exciting story. The stranger was leaning closely and actually gave good reactions to whatever they were talking about, occasionally nodding his head with an undying smirk on his mouth.

For the sake of not being rude and pretending he did not care about how the stranger was making Kyungsoo giggle, Jongin attempts to drag his attention somewhere else. The DJs weren’t bad at all and he eventually finds himself bobbing his head to the rhythm and enjoying the music. Looking around, he finds Yixing and Sehun in the middle of the dancefloor. They were jumping up and down with their arms raised high up in the air, flaunting some dance moves and gaining loud cheers and praises from the large crowd.

Jongin laughs to himself as he watched his friends’ antics when a slender hand crawls above his shoulder from behind, polished fingers slithering above his collarbones. The hand stays in place as its owner twirls playfully to reveal herself in front of Jongin.

She wore smokey makeup and skimpy clothes that hugged her curves, boldly closing in and purposely letting her bare thighs press against Jongin’s knees.

“I knew you looked familiar,” she says in a sultry voice. “Kim Jongin, right? I remember you used to dance here with those boys.” Her hands were now curved behind his neck, playing with his loose strands of hair.

It takes Jongin a moment before he finally remembers her. She was a regular at the club and Jongin would be lying if he said she didn’t flirtatiously hover around him and his friends back in the day. Getting hit on at a club was normal and honestly Jongin used to play along whenever he drank a little over his tolerance, but he wanted today to be different.

“That’s sweet of you to remember,” he says as he casually tucks his hands into his pockets.

“It’s Heyri,” she bites her thickly glossed bottom lip, “if you’re interested.” When Jongin doesn’t respond, Heyri pushes her body between his thighs before setting herself above his lap.

She leans in closely to whisper in his ear, loud enough to overlap the music. “With a face like yours, you’d be really easy to remember.” Slowly, her hand comes up to his cheek and that’s when Jongin grabs her thin wrist, putting her to a stop.

“Sorry, but I’d really like to be alone right now,” he tells her firmly before letting go of her wrist.

Heyri’s eyebrows raise in surprise before her lips stick out in a small pout. She slowly detaches herself from him, her heels clacking loudly on the floor. “To tell you honestly, you’re quite handsome, Kim Jongin,” she clicks her tongue in disappointment as she eyes him from head to toe. “But you’re no fun.”

With those final words, she saunters away with a huff, leaving traces of strong strawberry perfume as she walks past.

The second Heyri was now out of sight, a tall figure casually sits next to him with a bottle of beer in hand.

“What was that all about?” Chanyeol asks with a teasing smirk as he bumps their shoulders together.

Jongin takes a long sip of his mocktail as he shakes his head dismissively. “Just wasn’t interested, is all.”

“Well look at you Mister Popular, getting all the attention. It’s crazy how you don’t notice all these people checking you out.”

Just then, the trio of girls at the opposite table giggle amongst each other with their eyes trained playfully towards Jongin. One of them sends him a wink and he pretends not to notice.

“Why are you alone here anyway? Where’s Kyungsoo?”

Jongin tries to sound casual about it but his tone comes off just a tad bit sulky. He hopes Chanyeol doesn’t catch it. “He’s at the bar, talking with a probable soulmate.”

The guy had ordered another set of expensive drinks for them. Kyungsoo was still wearing his lovely smile and seemed to be enjoying the stranger’s company. Jongin could hardly take his eyes off of them and he tries hard not to snatch and drown Chanyeol’s cold bottle of beer.

“Hey, I know that look.” Chanyeol comments randomly and Jongin’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“Know what look?”

“You like him,” Chanyeol hums amusedly. “You like Kyungsoo.”

The thumping of Jongin’s heart against his chest felt a whole lot louder compared to the roaring bass of EDM all throughout the club. From the hard drilling of his heartbeat, it gradually settles back into its normal rate and he relishes in the fact that Kyungsoo has always made his heart calm.

He has no idea when he exactly started feeling this way towards Kyungsoo but it felt like Jongin had always had this special sentiment only meant for him. After all this time of unidentified feelings, Jongin felt lighter now that he’s finally recognized his fondness for Kyungsoo.

“But you do know he has a soulmate, right?” Chanyeol reminds him helpfully.

Jongin didn’t think too much about it, but he was ready to accept the agonizing bitterness of reality. “I know,” he mumbles.

Chanyeol sighs beside him, running his index finger along the rim of his bottle. “I don’t know about you, but if that guy doesn’t turn out to be Kyungsoo’s soulmate, then it’d be better if you start making your move,” his friend shrugs. “I’m only suggesting though. You’re also at an advantage here so you’re already a few steps ahead.”

“But Kyungsoo really does want to find his soulmate. How can I compete with a guy he’s already devoted to when he hasn’t even met them yet?”

“Point taken,” Chanyeol thinks carefully. “But, love is love. Even if it isn’t exactly what fate has planned out for you.”

Jongin puts his friend’s words into his mind. “We’re getting really deep here,” he laughs. “You aren’t drunk are you?”

“Of course not,” Chanyeol shakes his head before bobbing his head towards Baekhyun’s direction. The latter was already half asleep on Yixing’s shoulder, jaw hanging loosely. “Baekhyun beat me to it. I mean, one of has to stay sober to get home.”

The moment Jongin lifts his eyes from his friends and back to Kyungsoo, his blood instantly spikes up and his hands curl into tight fists as he takes in the scene before him.

The stranger has Kyungsoo vulnerably pinned up against the wall over his bigger frame, hands gripping tightly on the smaller male’s thighs and their faces were only a few centimeters apart. Kyungsoo was completely frozen in place, body stiff and eyes full of fear, silently screaming for help.

Jongin rises up in a bolt, angrily striding towards the bar and falling deaf over Chanyeol’s continuous shouting of his name. His body was burning, and there was nothing else in his mind except for Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo.

Everything right after that happened in a flash. Jongin grabs the molester by the front of his collar before landing a quick punch below his jaw and the guy plunges down across the tiled floor.

Jongin remembers smelling blood before he turns to Kyungsoo, bringing him into his chest and mumbling reassurances into his ear.

“Let’s get out of here, okay?” He tells Kyungsoo before he leads to the exit out of the club, disregarding the pairs of eyes following them.

“Here, take this.” Chanyeol appears in front of them as he hastily peels off his jacket before wrapping it around Kyungsoo. He looks at Jongin. “Call me when you get home. We’ll take care of this.”

Jongin briefly thanks his friends and before he knows it, they were already out of the confines of the club and inside a taxi, on their way home to his quaint apartment.

Kyungsoo has not spoken a word since, but as Jongin brings him closer and closer to his chest, his hands come up to grip on the fabric of Jongin’s top before he breaks down into tears.

 

  
As they reach the apartment, Jongin offers to preheat the shower in case Kyungsoo wanted to wash up.

Kyungsoo only nods his head as he sits himself on the couch, only to end up falling fast asleep with a throw pillow squeezed between his arms. He didn’t bat an eye even as Jongin began carefully peeling off his jacket, his shoes, and socks.

What Kyungsoo was wearing wasn’t going to be comfortable later on as he slept, but it was comparatively better rather than to surprise him the following morning to see himself in front of the mirror wearing a different set of clothing.

Jongin carries him to his bed before carefully tucking the smaller male under the covers. Kyungsoo grunts cutely in his sleep, lips slightly parted and before Jongin could stop himself, he brushes his knuckles gently across the dried tears accumulated on the smaller’s pale cheeks.

Jongin was angry, mostly at himself. If only he was a bit more observant then Kyungsoo would not have gone through that malicious encounter at the club. He could not stop thinking about the terror in Kyungsoo’s teary eyes, wary and afraid after the trust he had given gets easily thrown away in a ditch like it was nothing.

 

It was already past midnight and Jongin was still wide awake, shifting endlessly across the futon on the floor. The sheets were covered in Kyungsoo’s scent, an important factor which had probably lead him to his current situation.

Just as he was about to get up and move to the sofa outside to sleep, Jongin hears the bed creak along with the silent movement of a body. He immediately shuts his eyes, casually facing away to the side as he pretends to be be drifting off in dreamland.

Heart racing, Jongin feels stealthy movement on his side and he tries not to be conscious of his breathing, lungs already rising and falling heavily. He was already on the verge of opening his eyes when all of a sudden something soft fleetingly press against the top of his head, causing his breath to hitch and his toes curl under the blankets. Jongin wouldn’t be surprised if Kyungsoo finds out that he wasn’t actually asleep, because pretending and staying still after getting kissed without prior notice was already much of a challenge for him.

The last thing that finally makes Jongin’s eyes flash open was when he feels Kyungsoo curl up closely behind him, comfortably leaning his forehead between Jongin’s shoulder blades before wrapping a blanket around himself. The smaller male’s constant exhales made his back tickle and his chest compress.

Jongin falls asleep that night, dreaming of comets and falling in love with Kyungsoo.

 

  
The sweet smell of butter was hard to miss early in the morning. The sun has not risen yet, orange street lights softly streaming in through the dusty window panes.

Jongin wakes up to cold sheets and he props himself up on the floor with one elbow. He inspects the bed just to be sure and that the smell of cooking at 4 in the morning wasn’t just a hazy daydream. Kyungsoo’s blanket and pillows were already kept neatly on the side and Jongin takes it as a cue to start the day as well. After folding his sheets, he makes a quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair before sauntering into the kitchen.

There were already a few dishes plated on the dining table. Kyungsoo’s back faced Jongin as he continued to cook, unaware of the other male’s presence. Jongin has to clear his throat to let Kyungsoo know he was already awake.

“Good morning,” he greets simply and Kyungsoo visibly flinches a little in surprise, head turning to the source. Despite finding it adorable, Jongin mentally apologizes. “You’re up early.”

Kyungsoo nods his head briefly before facing the stove again. “Yeah, couldn’t sleep after waking up earlier,” he sighs. “How about you? You also don’t normally wake up this early.”

Of course Jongin wasn’t going to tell Kyungsoo that worrying over him was the reason why he had decided to cut off his sleep. He wanted to know if Kyungsoo was alright and that he had already gotten over the incident last night; but judging from the frown in his mouth and how the corners of his eyes were still swollen, the memories still lingered in his head.

Jongin was willing to talk about it if Kyungsoo wanted to; but if the latter didn’t, then he completely understood that it wasn’t easy. Jongin wanted to relieve Kyungsoo’s thoughts and put the most beautiful smile back to where it belongs. He comes up with a random idea and Jongin hopes it would work.

“The beach feels really refreshing at this time of day,” he says smoothly and the word surely captures Kyungsoo’s attention.

“The what?”

“The beach,” Jongin says again, but now with an excited beam curling across his lips. “You know; sand, the sea, the combination of frost and warmth in the air. And don’t even mention how beautiful the sunrise would look. How does that sound?”

Kyungsoo’s ears perk up in interest and curiosity at the description, eyes wide as saucers. He immediately turns off the stove and unties the apron around his waist. “Take me there.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

“Alright,” Jongin doesn’t even realize that he’s already smiling so widely when he almost forgets of the warm plates of breakfast on the table. “We should pack food to go though, it’s still a long way from here to the nearest beach so we shouldn’t leave empty handed.”

Kyungsoo pouts, obviously in a hurry.

“I’ll be quick,” Jongin laughs as he ushers Kyungsoo to his room. “Why don’t you go change while I pack.”

After much preparation for their short and unexpected trip to the sea, Jongin finally gets to introduce Kyungsoo to his motorcycle, which he hasn’t used ever since the other male moved in. Boy he sure missed riding.

“I had no idea you possessed such a vehicle,” Kyungsoo says in awe as he runs his hands across the bike’s body. “Interesting. I guess there’s really not much of a difference between our bikes, because the ones we have hover in the air.”

“I just had it fixed a week ago and I kind of thought using public transportation would be safer if we went out together. And your bikes up there sound pretty cool; guess Earth is still working on that feature.”

“Nice of you to consider my safety, but I’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo adds dismissively. “But of all days, why are we using your bike today?”

“That’s because the bus would only bring us halfway to the beach,” Jongin says as he climbs up over his motorcycle before starting the engine to cool it off. “Walking would take half an hour. You wouldn’t want to miss the sunset, would you?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head cutely before throwing his leg over the bike’s seat and his hands come up impulsively to hold onto the taller male. Jongin passes him an extra helmet before revving up the engines.

“You ready? Hold on tight. Tell me whenever you feel uncomfortable.”

He feels Kyungsoo’s hands tense on his waist, and Jongin begins calculating how long he’s going to survive with Kyungsoo’s chest pressed so closely against his back.

 

  
The motorcycle wheels skid roughly across the sand that Jongin has to place his feet on the ground to park properly.

Waves crashed infinitely from a distance as the stars begin to disappear amongst the clearing skies. The beach was empty, save for a wide array of coconut trees and old wooden huts.

Jongin watches as Kyungsoo wordlessly approaches the serene ocean, making careful steps towards the shoreline with his eyes never leaving the horizon. He looked like he was being captivated by the tranquility of the clear ocean, pulled into the beauty of its sparkling waters.

Kyungsoo halts the moment his toes touch the waters, backing off without a second thought. He wraps his arms around himself before Jongin silently steps up to his side. The morning breeze was chillier than expected, but Kyungsoo didn’t seem to mind at all. It was a good thing they wore sweaters and the only problem were the shorts that stopped right above their knees.

“This feels wonderful,” Kyungsoo inhales deeply through his nose, eyes closed and head tilted upwards with a satisfied smile. “I feel great. So, so much greater.”

“I’m happy to know you like it.” Jongin sniffles. “You honestly had me worried because I thought you’d be too cold or find it too dark.”

Kyungsoo chuckles softly. “Oh, no. I think I’m already in love with this place. Everything just feels so amazing, I’m so glad that you thought of coming here. I can’t thank you enough, Jongin. Literally for everything.”

Just then, a massive ray of bright light peek behind the mountains, a hue of orange and yellow gradually rising up and creating a reflection in the sea’s surface. As the sun rises to join the clouds in the sky, Jongin would keep a smile to himself everytime he hears Kyungsoo create different sounds and expressions of genuine fascination.

“That is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on.”

Brightness has began to spread throughout the sky and the sea was now a much lighter shade of blue, the salt creating crystallized effects on the surface.

Jongin tips of his shoes before he takes wary steps into the ocean, past through the crashing waves until the waters were now levelled with his shins.

“What are you doing? Isn’t it cold?” Kyungsoo asks in concern as he anxiously munches on his lower lip.

It was a lot warmer than Jongin had expected and it was the perfect temperature for a swim. The waves that hit the shore were a little strong but nonetheless it was completely harmless. 

“Come on, the water isn’t so cold,” he says with as much encouragement before reaching his hand out for Kyungsoo to take. “Here, you can hold my hand. The waves can be a bit of a prankster, so it’s best to be careful.” 

Kyungsoo’s heart was set out on trying unfamiliar experiences here on Earth, so he doesn’t think too long before he takes his shoes off and clasps Jongin’s hand back.

The sand felt soft beneath the bare soles of his feet and the water felt absolutely magical. Kyungsoo continues to take little steps and before he knows it, he was already in knee level, the ends of his shorts now drenched in saltwater.

“Feels great doesn’t it?”

“Definitely great times a million,” Kyungsoo laughs loudly as he kicks his feet underwater, not caring whether he was getting splashed or if the water went into his eyes.

“Before you continue doing that, I just want to make sure if you brought an extra change of clothes with you.”

Kyungsoo halts, shoulders dropping. “No,” he frowns. “Did you?”

“Well I thought the waters were gonna be freezing so I took swimming off the list, sorry.” Jongin carefully drags his feet towards the shallows, bringing Kyungsoo along with him as the waves were getting stronger.

Jongin waits patiently as Kyungsoo continues to marvel on the wonders of the ocean, picking up and inspecting shells, feeling the waters, and piling up rocks of different sizes. 

The sun shone brightly above the sky and the wind was slowly picking up its speed, the leaves that stood on branches dancing along to nature’s rhythm. More and more people had arrived at the beach, positioning colorful umbrellas and spreading mats across the sand.

“Hey, Jongin.” With an ear-splitting grin, Kyungsoo finally steps out of the water before he pulls the taller male into an embrace filled with sincerity. “I couldn’t thank you enough for this… and most especially for yesterday. I really owe you a lot.”

Jongin was still a little stunned as he contemplated if he should put his arms around Kyungsoo as well. He does it anyway, rubbing the other male’s back in a comforting manner. He chuckles heartily, “Don’t worry about it.”

They spend the rest of the morning under the shade of a coconut tree, sitting by each other with their legs stretched across the sand and opened containers of food shared in between them. Their position gave them a full view of the beach and although seawater clung to their legs, it was pretty comfortable.

They talked about literally anything, their conversation ranging from Kyungsoo’s questions about the sea before his attention shifts to an older couple walking barefoot by the seashore, hand in hand with calm expressions.

“Jongin, can I ask you something?” Kyungsoo asks as he pulls his knees into his chest, propping his chin up over them. His eyes were focused on the couple who now stood between the beach to appreciate the sea and the mountains in the horizon.

Jongin pops a grape into his mouth, humming at the sweetness of its flavor. “What is it?”

“Is it possible to fall in love with someone who isn’t your soulmate?”

The unexpected question takes Jongin aback and he feels a sense of deja vu kick in. It felt like he had asked this question before and the answers were always the same.

“Of course,” he says without waver. “Not all soulmates end up together. There are circumstances when people don’t exactly allow fate to plan out things for them, especially choose whom they have to love and spend their entire lives with.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything about it as he continued to gaze at the view before him, settling with a brief hum to let Jongin know that he was listening to every word. Silence ensues and Jongin eventually catches himself staring at Kyungsoo as the wind blew gently on the latter’s hair, the sunlight caressing his face and highlighting the brownness of his irises.

“People fall in love with the aspects of another; with personality for example,” he continues. “One person might have a soulmate, but that doesn’t stop another person from falling in love with them; or better, they fall in love with each other.”

Kyungsoo suddenly lifts his head up to face him and Jongin quickly averts his gaze, coughing awkwardly. “Although chances are they may not end up together,” he clears his throat again, “but that doesn’t change the fact that…”

Jongin pauses, trying to find the right words when Kyungsoo fills it in for him instead.

“That they loved each other.”

Jongin blames the sun for making the tips of his ears turn red at the wrong moment. “Yeah, exactly.”

Kyungsoo smiles at him before looking back at the horizon, resting his chin up against his knees and breathing out a contented sigh. 

 

Dance practice ended a few minutes late today and Jongin was in a rush.

He showers as fast as he can, drying himself hastily before wrapping the towel around himself and shuffling into the changing rooms. Yixing, Sehun, and the rest of the crew wanted to rehearse their steps a little bit more so it was only Jongin inside the quarters.

After tying his shoelaces and making sure he hadn’t left a button popped open, Jongin rushes out of university grounds. The sun was just beginning to set, the city bustling with people who were about to head home.

Kyungsoo was waving his hands by the gates and Jongin waves back as he jogs towards him, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He was still trying to catch his breath as soon as he reached where Kyungsoo was standing.

“Sorry, we unexpectedly had to extend practice today,” he apologizes. “Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here as well,” Kyungsoo shakes his head reassuringly and Jongin knew he wasn’t exactly telling the truth. Whenever they’d plan to meet up after Jongin’s university activities ended, Kyungsoo always made sure to arrive earlier than their arranged time. Jongin attempted on making sure he got there before Kyungsoo but he never beat him to it.

“You didn’t have to run, you know.” Kyungsoo chuckles. Jongin was bent over his knees and Kyungsoo uses the height advantage to touch his hair. “At least dry your hair properly. I could’ve waited for you just a little longer.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m gonna be fine,” Jongin beams as he cards his hair using his fingers before shuffling them in an attempt to dry his locks. “So, where do you want to eat?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” Kyungsoo pouts.

Kyungsoo had promised him to a full meal as a gratitude for taking him in and for literally everything Jongin has contributed to his stay here on Earth. Jongin had insisted that he didn’t have to, but Kyungsoo was more persistent than he was and finally got the other male to finally agree.

Jongin retorts, “You choose, since you’re the one paying for it.”

“That’s right, let me choose-- because I’m the one between us who knows Earth better,” scoffs Kyungsoo.

“I’m really okay with anything as long as it’s edible. Whatever you pick, I have no problem with eating.”

“I’m technically treating you, so it’s your choice and not mine amigo.”

“Oh come on!” Jongin throws his hands up exasperatedly in the air and it makes Kyungsoo crack up in laughter. “Fine,” he surrenders. “There’s this chicken restaurant I have in mind.”

Kyungsoo clasps his hands together excitedly, grin cheeky. “That’s more like it.”

The restaurant was located two blocks away and there weren’t much people around when they had arrived. They occupy the empty table across the large rectangular aquarium that stood against the wall and as per Kyungsoo’s request, Jongin orders for the both of them.

“So were you able to find anything today?” Jongin asks after they had their menus taken away.

“No, but I did go to the hardware store to look for tools and parts for my Finder. I was thinking of fixing it myself.”

Everything was much clearer now. Kyungsoo still longed for his soulmate and that was perfectly reasonable; after all, that was the main reason why he had come all the way to Earth and not just for some stranger who finds his eyes the prettiest pair in the entire galaxy.

It might be hard for Jongin to take his feelings for Kyungsoo back, but it wasn’t like he intended to do so. As long as Kyungsoo doesn’t find out then everything will be okay.

Jongin tries to sound as encouraging as he can despite feeling sick in his stomach. “Well, good luck with that, I hope you fix it soon. But if you do need help, I think I can find someone from university.”

“Oh that’s okay, I wouldn’t like to bother more people with my shenanigans.”

Two servings of chicken were served later on and Jongin was glad that Kyungsoo was enjoying his food. The latter was particularly fond of the spicy ones and Jongin carefully takes note of that fact to make sure he orders more of it next time.

As soon as they finish their food, Jongin lifts his backpack into his lap before pulling out something covered in bubble wrap. He had come across it at a gift shop on his way to school this morning. The silver beads of snow piled up inside the ball of glass had caught his eye and it reminded him of only one person. He couldn’t imagine himself not buying it.

“Here, this is for you,” Jongin says with a small smile as he hands Kyungsoo the messily wrapped present, the latter receiving it with both hands.

Kyungsoo’s facial expression was a combination of awe and confusion as he looks at the unexpected present and then up at Jongin, his nose scrunching cutely. “What’s this for?” he asks before pulling his mouth into an exaggerated frown. “Now I feel bad because I didn’t get you anything.”

Jongin laughs, “You don’t have to get me anything at all,” he says. “It just reminded me of you so I thought it would be nice if I gave it to you as a present. Open it up.”

Kyungsoo meticulously removes the tape around the bubble wrap before slowly peeling the cover off to reveal a snowglobe. It had a simple white carved base at the bottom, holding the glass ball like a pearl. Inside the transparent glass was a small home with a christmas tree beside it and a sign that says happy holidays, everything submerged in clear water. The best part of it was the artificial snow that completed the picture.

“Is this… snow?” Kyungsoo’s eyes were wide and full of astonishment as he sticks his face close to the snowglobe.

“Well it’s not real snow, it’s just a representation of what it looks like,” Jongin explains. “Why don’t you try shaking it?”

Kyungsoo does as he is told, shaking the globe with both of his hands before gently keeping it still above his palms. The snowflakes inside were scattered beautifully without pattern, slowly drifting along the water and falling gently into the base to lay above the structures inside.

“It’s even better than I imagined,” Kyungsoo smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. He continues to stare at the snowglobe dreamily, knowing that if he spoke another word, he could end up spilling embarrassing tears.

Jongin was optimistic that things would finally go on accordingly; but pretending that he didn’t have any feelings for Kyungsoo at all, was definitely going to be a lot harder than he thought.

 

The world was indeed unfair.

Jongin was still halfway in typing his 900 word essay when the power suddenly goes off, swallowing his room in pitch black with exception of the light coming from his screen and the moonlight streaming in through the windows of his bedroom. He hasn’t charged his laptop and the battery was already dying and to make things worse, his paper was to be submitted first thing in the morning.

There was a small commotion going on between the security of the apartment building downstairs and it seemed like they were already taking care of the problem.

After clicking the save icon five times on the document, Jongin exhales in disbelief as his laptop completely runs out of juice and shuts down. He sets the device aside before collapsing on top of his bed and groaning loudly against the pillows.

Kyungsoo, who wanted to stay up to invest in reading one of Jongin’s old encyclopedias, remained calm and stayed still in his seat. “What just happened?” he asks.

“Another power outage, something’s probably wrong with the electrical lines again,” Jongin replies shortly before he gets right back to sulking.

The shorter male laughs at him, “You alright? How did the writing go?”

“I’ve only finished half of the minimum word count so no, I am definitely not okay.”

“Cheer up, I’m sure the electricity will come right back in a while. Why don’t you rest or do something while waiting?”

“Like what?” As soon as Jongin turns over to lay on his back, he was a little surprised to see the stars shining so brightly through his windows. With the power out, they dominated among the vast sheet of darkness.

“Stare at the sky, huh? Great idea,” Kyungsoo chuckles as he gets up from the small couch before climbing up on Jongin’s bed, sitting cross-legged next to the other male. He follows Jongin’s line of sight. “Stars are literally just massive exploding balls of gas, yet it’s amazing how beautiful they look twinkling from down here.”

Jongin sits up. “I reckon you see stars a lot closer up there?”

“That’s right, they’re much bigger and brighter compared to seeing it from this distance.”

Suddenly, Jongin stands up to slide the windows open and a cool breeze enters the room. He sits on the window sill, swinging one leg out in the open as he pats the space beside him.

“Come sit here, it feels really refreshing.”

Kyungsoo follows and he carefully sets himself next to Jongin, leaning his back against the side jamb. Unlike Jongin, he chooses to keep his legs safe inside, their sides bumping.

The continue to talk about stars, the Earth, planets, and the galaxies. Jongin asked questions about how it was like to live in Euxoria and Kyungsoo would answer them expressively before asking questions about Earth. They took turns in connecting the dots between each other’s curiosities, laughing and pulling jokes at the same time.

“So how exactly did you get here on Earth? By a spaceship or something?”

“Something like that,” Kyungsoo laughs with a wide grin. “An official from our planet travel with us to our destination with the help of the Finder. They make sure we arrive safely before they leave with the shuttle.”

“Everything must have been difficult for you the first time you got here,” Jongin says softly. “You know your soulmate’s pretty lucky to have you as their pair. I mean, not everyone would take as much risk as you did. You even broke your finder but stayed anyway despite that.”

Kyungsoo only smiles sheepishly, bowing his head shyly. “You could say that I guess,” he shrugs. “How about you? To think of it, I never really had the chance to ask you about your soulmate.”

Jongin would be embarrassed to admit that he was the total opposite of Kyungsoo. He didn’t give much thought about looking for his soulmate, although he was looking forward for the day when they would finally get to meet.

“I just… I don’t know,” he trails off unsurely. Who knows, maybe his soulmate already has someone else; or if that wasn’t the case, then they’d probably be disappointed to find out that Jongin was interested in someone who isn’t them.

“I guess it’s different for you and me, huh?” Kyungsoo chuckles. “But thanks to you things are starting to make sense.”

“What do you mean?”

Kyungsoo laughs, legs swaying as he looks down on the street like he was purposely trying to avoid eye contact with Jongin. “I may have not found my soulmate yet, but I sure did learn lots during my stay here which is equally as important to me,” he pauses momentarily before looking at Jongin in the eyes. “You don’t understand how entirely grateful I am to have met you, Jongin, I mean it.”

Jongin hates it. He hates how the world has to conform to the idea of soulmates and how quickly a destined pair is made for someone who has just taken in their first breath of life.

But that didn’t matter now and Jongin couldn’t care any lesser when he moves in and kisses Kyungsoo in the mouth. It was quick and he would’ve pulled back right away if Kyungsoo showed even the smallest signs of rejection.

Jongin felt something good inside him click, his heart achingly calm the moment Kyungsoo kisses him back and allows their lips to move together. Kyungsoo’s lips were soft and kissing him felt surreal, like floating in an endless pool of calm waters where Jongin definitely wouldn’t mind spending his entire life in.

Kyungsoo pulls back not long after and Jongin doesn’t miss the slightest look of apprehension on the other male’s features.

An apology was hanging by the tip of Jongin’s tongue when the power comes back in a flash and the room is flooded with bright light again.

“Hey, you there! Room 413!” Someone hollers at them from the ground and Jongin looks down to see the guard of their building waving his hands up to catch his attention. “Would you mind helping me carry the equipment back to the storage room?”

“I’ll be down there in a minute Mister!” Jongin hollers back before carefully throwing his legs back inside and getting down from the window still. He offers his hand to Kyungsoo and the latter gets down as well, brushing off the dust on his pants.

Jongin scratches his head. “I-I’ll be back in a while,” he stammers. “You should wash up first.”

Kyungsoo nods his head and Jongin takes off after that, using his time on the elevator to calm his erratically beating heart.

The guard gives Jongin a bottled drink as a token of gratitude after helping him carry and arrange the tools back inside the storage shed. It was nearly 2am yet Jongin doesn’t take the elevator going up to his floor and takes his time in using the stairs instead.

It gave him little time to think about what just happened and how he was going to explain everything to Kyungsoo. He hasn’t thought of a reasonable explanation and yet he has already reached his front door so fast.

The door to his bedroom was open and Jongin takes a peek inside to see Kyungsoo asleep and wrapped up in a blanket on the futon across the floor, his back facing him. Relieved, Jongin walks on his toes to retrieve his laptop, turning the lights off before sprawling across the couch in the living room to finish his essay.

Maybe Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say to him either, because if Jongin were in his shoes then he’d probably pretend to fall asleep too. 

 

Jongin feels terrible.

He feels incredibly terrible for kissing Kyungsoo when he was completely aware of the fact that the latter was already in love with somebody else. Jongin struggled to erase the image of Kyungsoo looking worried right after the incident; mouth parted, eyes wide, and eyebrows raised like he just made the biggest mistake of his life.

He was supposed to be that one person whom Kyungsoo could trust and rely on, but all Jongin did was ruin that assurance with his thoughtless actions and unsuppressed feelings.

Kyungsoo has been quiet as well yet they both try to keep things the way they were to avoid tension, although Jongin has unknowingly been avoiding the other male. He would eat breakfast in a rush and leave for school earlier than usual, basically avoiding situations wherein he might find himself unable stop himself from falling harder.

This has been going on for almost a week and Jongin could no longer stand it.

 

“You what?!” Baekhyun screeches loudly inside the university library, immediately bowing his head down in apology after receiving angry looks from the other students and another warning from the librarian.

Sehun rolls his eyes. “Keep up, Byun Baekhyun. Weren’t you listening?”

The rest of his friends were still finishing up a project at the main building so Jongin was stuck studying at the library with mischief on two pairs of legs. It was already past 4pm yet the place was still filled with students murmuring terminologies and numerical equations.

“I screwed up, I know.” Jongin groans with his palms pressed up against his face. “I screwed up big time and Kyungsoo’s definitely upset about what happened. I think he hates me now, I don’t know.”

“But he did kiss you back didn’t he?” Baekhyun narrows his eyes. “Well at least that could mean something.”

Jongin sighs hopelessly, literally burying his face between the open textbook above the table. “He looked kind of bothered though. Does that still count?”

“Maybe he was flustered, which is pretty normal the first time,” Sehun shrugs. “And since he apparently did kiss you back, it is possible that he was also worried about what you might think of him.”

Jongin and Baekhyun stay silent and they could only stare at Sehun with hanging jaws, in awe at the most sensible explanation stated so far in this entire conversation.

Baekhyun leans closer towards Sehun. “Are you seeing someone you’re not telling us about? Because that could be the only explanation why you’ve become so wise about this. Come on, spill.”

“What does dating have to do with my wisdom? At least give my manga collection some credit.”

Another student hisses at them and Sehun apologizes quietly, sending Baekhyun a glare before glancing worriedly at Jongin who was in deep deliberation. “Well what do you think?” he asks, keeping his voice as soft as possible.

“Should I tell Kyungsoo that I like him?” Jongin raises his head back up before looking at his friends for any comments. “Tell me what you guys think.”

Baekhyun smiles reassuringly with a matching thumbs up. “That’s the spirit Kim Jongin, it’s better late than never!” he exclaims silently. “Things might end up better than expected.”

Lastly, he turns to Sehun and the latter uses the tip of his pen to poke Jongin on the left corner of his chest. “Do what you think is best; you’ve always had good instincts.”

Baekhyun scoffs. “Exactly what manga are you reading?”

 

Jongin makes sure to stop by the pastry shop near his apartment where Kyungsoo’s favorite macarons were sold. If he were to confess in this situation, then the least he could do is express his feelings in a proper manner.

Kyungsoo was pretty adventurous whenever it came to food, particularly on pastries and sweet delicacies. He would bring home a variety of them almost everyday but he especially loved the macarons and would keep coming back for more.

He takes one box of french macarons from the shelf, immediately proceeding straight to the counter to pay. After receiving his change, Jongin takes the take out bag when all of a sudden someone links their arm between his.

“S-Soojung noona?!”

Soojung used to be Jongin’s senior years ago and also one of his dance mentors he’s easily become close with. She graduated years back and it wasn’t surprising that she was now clad in a black dress suit, her hair tied up into a neat bun and a pair of frames clipped on her collar.

“Look at you Jongin! You’re all grown up now,” she teases before squeezing his arms. “And wow, look at what all that dancing did to you.”

“I could say the same to you, noona,” Jongin laughs. “But what are you doing here? Don’t you have work?”

“Oh that’s completely fine, they can manage without me for just half an hour,” she says dismissively before dragging Jongin to the counter where the cakes were displayed. She still possessed the same energy as she used to have as a dancer. “If you have time to spare, why don’t you help me pick a cake for Taemin. It’s our anniversary and that dork still loves surprises.”

Taemin had also been Jongin’s mentor for 2 years. He dated Soojung ever since Jongin had joined in and although they weren’t soulmates, they were one of the couples who have proved that even non-soulmate couples could end up happily together.

“You’re his girlfriend,” Jongin deadpans. “Shouldn’t you know what he likes?”

“He has no favorite whatsoever,” she says. “Nothing’s changed for Taemin-- he still eats everything. Go on and pick one, he’d be happy to know that I bumped into you today.”

Jongin chooses the fresh cream cake topped with strawberries and kiwi slices. It was simple yet he remembers that their dance team always bought that type of cake for their celebration parties.

“Terrific.” Soojung grins before she asks the lady behind the counter to box it up for her.

Jongin bows his head, “I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to leave first noona, I still have something urgent to take care of.”

“Let’s leave together, I can drive you to where you’re going.”

“Ah, thank you for the offer noona but there’s no need to,” he says quickly. “My apartment is just around two blocks away and the traffic is quite bad in this area. I’ll just walk back on the way home.”

Soojung nods her head in understanding. “Alrighty then,” she says before pecking Jongin briefly on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Hopefully with Taemin next time, he sure misses you a lot too.”

“Thanks noona, tell Taemin I said hi.”

Jongin leaves the shop in delight after having bumped into Soojung when something pricks at his chest painfully and it makes him flinch in the middle of the sidewalk. His stomach begins to burn with misery and he felt so sick all of a sudden. A single tear falls from his eye, and Jongin doesn’t even sense it until it comes running down across his cheek.

 

Kyungsoo wasn’t at the apartment when Jongin gets home.

It was quite a relief, actually. Because his heart wouldn’t stop beating relentlessly just before he lingered outside the door of his unit only to find it empty. He places the macarons on the table before he takes a quick shower and changes into loose sweatpants and a thin hoodie.

Already an hour has passed and Jongin has just finished washing the dishes when he hears the beep of the door which could only mean one thing. He tries to keep his cool, clearing his throat and wiping his hands before untying his apron and folding it above the kitchen counter.

“J-Jongin?” He hears Kyungsoo say weakly and Jongin turns around to face the smaller male whose hands were folded anxiously in front of him. It would take a closer look to notice the that the skin under his eyes were red and bloated like he had just calmed down from crying.

It only takes Jongin a few strides before he reaches out to hold Kyungsoo’s face gently. “Hey, what happened?”

“Don’t worry, I just went out for a bit to think about something.” Kyungsoo shakes his head and forces a smile, slowly taking Jongin’s hands from his face before dropping them to the side. “I deeply apologize if I didn’t talk to you about this earlier, but I think it’s time for me to go back to Euxoria.”

Jongin’s heart crushes in mere seconds. “W-Why is that? You know you can always tell me anything-- whatever that’s bothering you right now.”

Kyungsoo holds Jongin’s hands tightly, using his thumb to brush against his knuckles. “You’ve done enough for me Jongin, you made me realize important things I have never even thought of before and I honestly can’t thank you enough for everything. I’m sorry for just barging into your life, and especially for bothering you a lot,” he chuckles bitterly, throat raspy. “You’ve spent a great amount of your time with a stranger, but now you deserve to live your life the way you want it to.”

This world of black and white crumbles mercilessly behind Jongin’s eyes and his chest has never hurt this much before, like sharp nails piercing every nerve of his being. He wanted to scream, but there was no voice left in him anymore.

Jongin admits that he had seen this coming. It was excruciatingly painful and he feels so fucking awful but he had always felt a different kind of love for Kyungsoo, and all Jongin wishes for him is to be happy, even if their chances of seeing each other again was a frail one out of a thousand. He can never go against someone else’s happiness.

“Don’t you want to stay? Just for this night at least.”

“That’s okay, I’m gonna be fine. I actually have already found a new place I could stay in while I wait for my shuttle to arrive.” Kyungsoo grins widely at him as he loosens his grip before tipping up Jongin’s chin with his index finger in an attempt to bring back the smile on his face.

“You’re a wonderful person, Jongin. I hope you know that.”

Jongin exhales deeply through his nose as he collects himself together. “Just before you leave, I want to make it clear to you that you have never been a bother to me and I have never thought of you as one,” he says. “It’s actually because of you that I’ve learned what it’s like to truly love someone.”

Kyungsoo had looked surprised for a brief moment before his smile grows even wider, the sadness still as clear as ice. “I’m really glad to hear that from you.”

Jongin doesn’t take his eyes off of Kyungsoo as he carefully begins memorizing every detail of his face, desperately wanting to remember this one last moment with him.

 

Ten o’clock in the evening and Jongin couldn’t stop thinking about how he misses conversations with Kyungsoo at this hour.

They would talk whenever Kyungsoo would stay up late with him as he did his homework or studied for tests, easily replacing the role of caffeine in Jongin’s life. Kyungsoo had only been with him for a short period of time but it was inevitable that Jongin feels the necessity to adjust again-- alone this time, in his quaint apartment where he has been used to the other male’s presence.

Sighing, Jongin picks himself up from the couch before collecting all the piled up dishes on the floor where he was sprawled up earlier as he ate his heart away to consume his sadness. He hasn’t told his friends about anything yet and Jongin felt like total crap, dragging himself into the kitchen sink to dump his glasswares in and drown two glasses of iced water to clear the pain in his throat.

As he places his glass above the sink, he notices a sparkle of light reflecting against it and Jongin follows the source, leading him to his room where the light peeked through the slight opening of the door.

He had almost ignored it, thinking that it was only the lamp when the lights begin to blink rapidly and that’s when Jongin decides to finally walk into his room to find out what it was.

After Kyungsoo had left this afternoon, Jongin hasn’t entered his bedroom once so he was greeted with a new placement of furniture. His bed was back to its old position and the futon Kyungsoo slept in was folded to the side. The clothes he had borrowed from Jongin were also piled up and folded neatly above his bed.

The blinking lights were coming from underneath the blanket and Jongin fishes for it, his hands clasping onto something solid before he pulls his arm out.

From white light, the glow switches to red and Jongin accidentally lets go of the device upon realization, his heart beating rapidly that he feels his entire body thrum with adrenaline and mixed emotions.

Kyungsoo’s Finder was white light again as it layed untouched on the floor; but the moment Jongin reaches for it, it switches back to red.

Jongin couldn’t believe it.

All this time.

 

Refined gravel of sand fly across the air as Jongin’s motorcycle skid roughly between the ground. He sloppily parks his motorcycle by a coconut tree and he rips his helmet off before looking around the beach.

There was a bonfire going on at a near distance, providing enough light for Jongin to see clearer in the dark. He has no clue about Kyungsoo’s whereabouts and where he could be right now but Jongin desperately prays that his instincts don’t fail him today.

The waves were calm when Jongin sees him.

Kyungsoo was sitting alone by the seashore, on the exact same spot where they watched the sun rise together. The smaller male looked peaceful and Jongin comes closer, knees falling weak after every step.

He settles himself next to Kyungsoo before he feels the latter jerk in surprise, eyes wide the second he recognizes him.

“J-Jongin what are you doing here?” he asks incredulously and Jongin has never seen Kyungsoo’s eyes so wide before. “How… how did you even know I was here?”

“You left something at my apartment so I came to give it back.”

“What is it? I remember packing everything though, that’s weird.” Kyungsoo scoots back a little farther away from him. “Y-You shouldn’t have bothered, you know.”

Jongin’s hand trembles as he takes the device from his pocket before holding up Kyungsoo’s hand and placing it above his palm, the soft glow of red light caressing his face. 

Flustered, Kyungsoo swears under his breath before he begins to mumble, “Of all the things I had to forget, _this_ had to be the one.”

The sand crumbles beneath their feet and the crashing waves come closer. “Since when did you find out?” Jongin whispers. His breath hitches at his throat, finding it hard to speak. “Why didn’t you tell me we were soulmates?”

The moonlight covers half of Kyungsoo’s face and Jongin couldn’t seem to figure out the expression he was portraying.

“It doesn’t matter now.” Kyungsoo retracts, voice faltering. He wraps his arms around himself and Jongin wishes he could do it for him instead; be the person who could provide him comfort and warmth.

“Of course it matters, Kyungsoo.” You matter so much to me.

The moon filled Kyungsoo’s eyes and Jongin sees a color of genuinity in them. “I’m in love with you Jongin.”

Those very words had the power to render Jongin completely breathless, like a massive tornado just vacuumed his lungs out of body. At the same time, it also planted seeds of hope in his stomach.

“But I guess it’s useless to say that now, is it?”

“What do you mean?” Jongin almost stammers.

There it was again. The half hearted smile that doesn’t reach Kyungsoo’s eyes. “You should have told me you were already seeing someone,” he says softly-- grimly. “After fixing my finder today I thought I wouldn’t want to you use it after all. Because if it isn’t you, then it’s nobody else.”

Jongin felt the same for Kyungsoo and for him only.

“But I couldn’t get it out of my head so I listened to it and it lead me to you. You don’t know how happy I was, it was ridiculous.” Kyungsoo laughs. This time it was genuine, Jongin could tell. “But then I saw her, um, y-your girlfriend? She looks sweet and very promising, Jongin.”

The missing pieces come together in an absolute picture. Jongin didn’t think this was the right moment to laugh but he couldn’t help it.

“Do you mean Soojung?”

Kyungsoo’s face dims. “Is that her name?”

“Well, yes, but that’s not what’s important right now,” Jongin cups Kyungsoo’s face excitedly and he couldn’t resist how adorable the smaller male was. “Soojung noona isn’t my girlfriend, silly. She used to be my mentor, and she’s actually marrying another friend of mine next year.”

Kyungsoo’s face heats up beneath Jongin’s palms and he immediately looks away. “T-That’s because you were the one who told me that people could end up with someone who isn’t their soulmate so I just a-assumed that you didn’t want to be with me. And you’ve been ignoring me lately, I thought you already got sick of me.”

Jongin could not believe that this was all because of a small misunderstanding. He grins affectionately. 

“I said all of those things partly because it’s true. But mostly because I already loved you Kyungsoo, even before I found out that we were soulmates. Also, the reason why I went to the pastry place was to get you your favorite macarons,” Jongin says amusedly. “I was going to confess to you when I got home.”

“You were?” Kyungsoo sniffles, in disbelief.

“Yeah, but you ended up leaving. I thought you wanted to leave because of what happened the last time; when I kissed you.”

“But I kissed you back. How could that be a reason?”

Jongin shakes his head, “I guess people were lying when they said soulmates have this sort of brain connection or something.”

Kyungsoo bursts out laughing, his expressions coming back to its original brightness and that’s all Jongin needed to see. The shorter male leans his head on Jongin’s shoulder, stretching his legs so it meets the incoming waves.

“Don’t you have anything to tell me?”

Jongin turns his head to the side to press an affectionate kiss on the top of Kyungsoo’s head, briefly nuzzling at his soft mop of hair.

“You mean the world to me.” The look on Jongin’s face was unwavering and it reflected his feelings. “I’ve always felt a special kind of love for you and it’s crazy how it feels like I could fall in love with you all over again. Being with you all this time just feels so right and--”

Kyungsoo has heard enough. All he wanted to do right now was kiss Jongin so hard until they both run out of breath and so he leans in to connect their lips.

The wind picks up and the night sky was getting darker and colder, but there’s something brewing between two synchronized heartbeats that keep their bodies warm.

 

The sweet and salivating smell of chocolate wafts through their now shared unit and Jongin could already tell how amazing it tasted even from the narrow entryway.

After much thought, they have decided to move to a bigger apartment two months ago. It wasn’t very fancy but not too shabby either, just enough for two people and a wide kitchen space for Kyungsoo who’s started working as an apprentice at a famous pastry place in the city.

Jongin takes his shoes off and drops his bag on the table before he heads straight to the kitchen, smiling affectionately the moment he sees Kyungsoo with his back facing him. Jongin smoothly curves an arm around the smaller male before kissing his mouth, tasting bits of sugar and cream in the process.

“What are you making?” he asks, looking at the bowl filled with chocolate. Kyungsoo has been working hard on a self-made recipe he’s been trying for days now, but none of Jongin’s approvals have convinced him that it was already great enough to present at work.

Kyungsoo ignores him, every bit of his attention on the mixing bowl.

Jongin was confused. Maybe Kyungsoo was still bothered that his recipe wasn’t turning out very well for him.

“Hey,” Jongin tries again, now with a softer voice. He keeps his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist. “Is there anything wrong?”

“Shouldn’t you be the one to know that.” Kyungsoo says in a completely flat tone, eyes serious. He pushes Jongin away weakly with his elbow as he moves along the length of the counter to pick up a clean bowl and a new pack of dark chocolate.

“W-What did I do?”

“I don’t know, Jongin,” Kyungsoo sighs as he rips off the packet. “What did you do?”

Jongin does his best to recall what they did yesterday and he was pretty sure that they didn’t fight over something unless--

His shoulders drop, feeling guilty and apologetic. “Oh,” was all he could say. Jongin remembers pigging out on more than half of the chocolate truffles Kyungsoo had made the other night while the latter was out to fetch more ingredients. Kyungsoo probably didn’t notice until Jongin had left for university this morning.

“You almost finished my entire batch of truffles, Jongin!” Kyungsoo exclaims, sounding greatly disappointed and Jongin feels even more guilty because Kyungsoo didn’t even sound furious. “I already told you a million times that it was important that I bring those to work today,” he says, sighing even deeper this time. “You know I had to rush a new batch this morning and it wasn’t as good as what you had eaten. I was just lucky enough that they liked it.”

Jongin’s face lights up at that. “They did?” he grins merrily before swallowing Kyungsoo in a tight embrace and lifting him up into the air for a second and putting him down immediately incase he blows up. “That’s awesome! I’m so proud of you Soo!”

The smaller male struggles in his hold, grunting cutely as he takes Jongin’s hand off his waist. “We’re not done talking yet,” he says before fixing his disheveled apron.

Jongin kisses him anyway. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes seriously. “I got hungry while reading last night and I found your chocolate truffles on the fridge. I honestly thought you meant you were bringing something else at work, so I just assumed I could eat it. I’m really sorry, Soo.”

“You better be.”

“I’ll be more careful next time,” Jongin says before kissing him again and again, peppering Kyungsoo’s face with soft kisses.

“Stop that, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says indignantly. “Can’t you see me working right now?. Why don’t you go wash up and prepare for din-- _ah_.”

There it was. Jongin smirks victoriously as he nibbles on the shell of Kyungsoo’s ear, trailing hot kisses across his neck and down to his shoulder, one hand grasping Kyungsoo’s clothed ass cheek as he massages it languidly.

“Let’s make up?” Jongin suggests, his breath tickling the other’s skin.

Kyungsoo lets go of the bowl and the whisk, his hands gripping on the sides of the counter instead. “W-We alread-- _hng_ \-- we already did.”

“I don’t think we’re done yet.”

“R-Right here?!” Kyungsoo whips his head to look at Jongin, face flushed. “In my kitchen? Hey the last time we did it here I had to clean up for a full two hou--”

Jongin cuts him off after clearing the counter of mixing bowls and utensils, hauling Kyungsoo up to sit on the counter with him between the latter’s spread thighs.

“We’ll be quick,” Jongin assures him, pressing a deeper kiss in the middle of his mouth, “and I’ll help you clean this time, I promise.”

“Fine, j-just don’t leave marks on my neck again,” Kyungsoo says bashfully and Jongin takes it as granted permission to attack his lips, mouth moving down to plant gentle kisses on the base of Kyungsoo’s neck and tasting the skin between his shoulders.

It was indeed quick, because not later on as things began to heat up, Jongin accidentally nudges the bowl with his elbow and therefore causing an even bigger mess in the kitchen. Kyungsoo’s mouth was pink all over from kissing but he doesn’t miss to scold Jongin over the poured mixture on the counter.

Guess he’ll have to try harder for another round of making up.

 

The windows were foggy when Jongin wakes up, one eye slightly peeked open before he closes them again, deciding to sleep for just a little bit more.

He instantly regrets going to bed in nothing but boxers as he pulls the blanket up into his neck and curling his knees up against his body to keep himself warm from the cold. After Kyungsoo had woken up extra early today, Jongin felt even chillier by himself now that he was sleeping bare and all alone.

It was a Saturday, but his boyfriend was fond of formulating new recipes over the weekend as he watched the sun rise from their living room, saying that it gave him inspiration and a peace of mind. 

Jongin’s ears perk up as he hears hurried footsteps in the hall, the sound gradually getting louder before the door to their bedroom bursts open and he feels a smaller body jump on top of his, causing him to groan loudly in pain.

“Soo, what is it?” Jongin mumbles lazily as he sticks his face deeper against the pillow between his arms, still drowsy after staying up all night reading 3 full chapters of his textbook. 

“Jongin, get up!” Kyungsoo almost screams in excitement as he roughly straddles him by the waist, shaking his shoulders in an attempt to wake him up. “Come on, you have to see this!”

Jongin slowly turns over, yawning loudly in response as he stretches his limbs. “What is it?” he asks, voice still rough from sleep. 

Kyungsoo hastily pulls down the blanket to reveal Jongin’s face before kissing him, one on the cheek and another on the mouth. “Good morning, it’s snowing outside,” he giggles excitedly before leaning all of his weight on the taller male and embracing his body tightly.

Carefully, Jongin fully opens his eyes to be greeted with the expression of his boyfriend grinning widely down at him, heart-shaped lips and gentle eyes. Jongin felt like he had seen Kyungsoo’s smile somewhere else, maybe from another lifetime, but nonetheless it never fails to make his heart skip a beat and Jongin knew he could never ask for more.

He connects their lips together again, a little longer time time before sitting up in bed as he effortlessly ruffles his bed hair. “Good morning,” he greets back with a smile, heart fluttering. 

The windows of their bedroom were covered up in fog but the snow collecting on the sill was hard to miss. It was finally winter and the first snow had already fallen.

This was going to be Kyungsoo’s first winter-- and Jongin’s first winter season with the love of his life.

“Should we go out?” Jongin suggests and just like he had expected, Kyungsoo’s face lights up, cheeks turning red in eagerness like a puppy waiting for a reward.

“Right now?”

“Sure, just give me a minute or two to put on some clothes and brush my teeth.”

Grinning, Kyungsoo promptly detaches himself from the taller male before running back to the living room to get a closer look at the snow from their window on the 9th floor, watching as the vibrant city of Seoul get painted in clean mantles of white snow.

Instead of going straight to the bathroom, Jongin puts a thin shirt on as makes a detour to where Kyungsoo was standing before he pulls the smaller male into his arms from behind.

“I thought you were gonna go get changed,” Kyungsoo says as he turns his head to look at him. Contrary to Jongin’s two pieces of thin clothing, Kyungsoo was all wrapped up in a thick turtleneck sweater and a cotton jacket. “Aren’t you cold?” he asks.

“Body heat,” Jongin replies goofily before Kyungsoo’s warm hands come up to hold his cold ones.

Winter had just begun this morning but the snow was already piling up on the streets and covering buildings, vehicles, and empty tree branches. Commuters had their umbrellas open but some chose to allow the snow to fall over their heads, all laughter and smiles.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Jongin sighs, nuzzling against his boyfriend’s head and Kyungsoo hums in agreement, finding it hard to take his eyes off the world.

Kyungsoo exhales as he leans against Jongin’s chest, their bodies fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces. “It’s breathtaking,” he says quietly, still in complete awe.

Jongin could stay like that for hours with Kyungsoo leaning up against his chest, feeling his stomach gently rise and fall with every breath. It felt like he was seeing snow fall for the very first time. 

“Hey, you should really put on some clothes,” Kyungsoo finally speaks up after a while, turning around to face him as he squeezes the frigid pair of hands below his. “Your hands are getting so much colder.”

Smiling lovingly, Jongin couldn’t help but kiss Kyungsoo again and they both indulge in it for a long time, lips connecting and tongues lingering.

“I love you,” Jongin lets him know for the millionth time and Kyungsoo laughs as he pats his boyfriend’s bottom, prodding him to do as he was told. 

“I know, and I love you too.” 

Jongin might be shivering from the frosty weather, but he knew he was going to feel much warmer on the inside throughout the season with Kyungsoo right by his side.


End file.
